Call me Nya
by MasterofCupcakes
Summary: AU: Antonia "Toni" Smith is a high school student in her final year, who has just stated working part-time at the local comic book store. She generally enjoys her job and gets on well with the customers, if it just wasn't for the slightly annoying son of a famous movie star... Cover was made by my friend Sopherloafer from wattpad.
1. Week 1

**This story idea has spent a long time in my collection of 'unwritten story ideas and unfinished drafts', and it is thanks to two friends on wattpad, bear2710 (who this book is dedicated to) and FanOfJay (she is also here on FF, please check out her works!), that I have now found the motivation and inspiration to continue writing it** **!**

 ** **It was initially supposed to be a one-shot, but it is currently at over 8000 words and nowhere near the end, so I might as well publish it as a separate book...****

 **This is an AU: The 'ninja' have no elemental powers, and Jay has grown up living with his birth father. So, if he acts a bit OOC at the beginning, but please bear in mind that he is the spoiled only child of a movie star ;). And no, even if it may appear like it at the beginning, this story does not contain any OCs!**

 **Rated T for just a bit of strong language** **.**

* * *

Week 1

 _Friday late afternoon_

Bye Lloyd, I'll see you next week." I tell the child with the golden hair. "Have a good weekend."

"You too, Miss Toni." The twelve-year old boy waves at me. "Bye."

"He really likes you, Antonia." His mother smiles at me. "He's been talking about you all the time since Monday." She hands me a few notes. "Thanks again, and I'll see you next week."

"Thanks, Misako. Have a great weekend."

"You too, Antonia."

As they leave the store, I take a look at the clock, a little sigh escaping my lips. Still half an hour to go before closing time. I am quite tired after my first week in my new job at _Doomsday Comics_.

No, I am not a full time employee, I am still in my final year at high school. But my friends and I want to do some travelling after our graduation, so I need to earn some money. And Ignacia is a rather small town, so there isn't a big selection of part-time jobs for students. I was very lucky to get this position at the local comic book store; thanks to my older brother I have gained enough nerd knowledge on superheroes, role-playing games, and such to pass the interview.

Of course, as the new girl in the team I have to take the shifts that the other employees don't want, so I work three late afternoons, plus Saturday early morning. But I actually don't mind. I'm not a person who goes out very much anyway. And I even make some extra money during these times, just by watching Lloyd.

Lloyd Garmadon a funny little kid who just loves to hang around here for an hour or two every afternoon. Yes, the store has a little reading corner, with two sofas and a table between them.

And because his parents are both super busy in their jobs, they have agreed with Rufus, the elderly store owner, that they will pay us for keeping an eye on their son, while is is reading some comics or playing with the action figures that are on display. During these times, the store is normally not too busy anyway, and I have sometimes time to join him in the reading area and talk to him about his reading material. He is very cute when he gets excited about his favourite cartoon characters, in particular Fritz Donnegan.

I remember that he appeared to be particularly excited today, as if he was expecting something out of the ordinary to happen. And then he looked a bit disappointed when his mother collected him a bit earlier than usual. But maybe he has just discovered an especially interesting story and didn't get to finish it...

The buzzing of my phone snaps me out of my thoughts. There are currently no customers in the shop, so I can take the call. It's my BFF Skylor.

"Hi Sky." I answer.

"Hi Toni." She replies. "A few of us are going to the club tonight, so I just wanted to ask if you want to join. Your brother's coming as well."

"Sorry, I am really tired. Still getting used to everything in the new job... And I need to get up early tomorrow for work again."

"You sure, hun?"

"Yes, sorry."

"Do you want to come over after work tomorrow for lunch?" She suggests. "You've been so busy, I haven't seen you outside school all week."

"Sounds great. See you then."

"Bye."

Skylor and I have been best friends since kindergarten, despite being very different people. While I prefer to stay at home and read or work on some engineering projects, she is very outgoing and loves being the centre of attention. And thanks to her great looks – her most striking feature being her long scarlet hair – she does get a lot of it, especially from the boys – including my own brother.

As if on cue, I get a text from Kai: _Going out with Sky tonight, will be home tomorrow morning._

I smile. _Sure. Have fun_ _._ I text back.

My older brother and Skylor have been dating for a few months now, and I am really happy for them. I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, and I am definitely not as popular as my friend. My raven black hair is pretty boring compared to her bright red, and I keep it cut in a short bob, simply because I don't want to spend hours styling it in the mornings.

Before I put my phone back in my pocket, I check the time. Fifteen minutes to go.

This is the first night where I have to close the shop on my own. Rufus has gone through the procedure with me on Monday and Wednesday evening, and he has written down a list of instructions for me, but I am still a bit nervous.

Maybe I should start tidying up.

I am just putting a few comic books from the reading area back in the shelves, when the door opens and a young man, maybe one or two years older than me bursts into the shop. He's quite attractive, with his a cute freckled face, short auburn hair, and a nice athletic build. He is dressed casually, but I recognise the brands of his light blue polo shirt and navy jeans as rather expensive. He takes of his sunglasses and scans the shop with his sapphire blue eyes.

"Good evening." I greet him. "Can-can I help you?"

"Hi." He flashes me a bright smile showing his immaculate white teeth. "I am here for the new _Starfarers_ comic."

"Uh, I am sorry to disappoint you, but we don't have that anymore." I explain. "You know, it gets released on Thursdays and always sells out on the first day. Maybe..."

"I know that." He interrupts me harshly. "Rufus always keeps a copy for me, just check under the counter. The name's Gordon. Like Cliff Gordon, the actor. That's my father, by the way."

 _Great, so he's a spoiled brat. That explains a lot._ I think but still make my way to the counter to check for his stupid comic book. I don't really like looking under there, because that's where all the R-rated books are kept.

After a while, I find it and hand it to him, my face flushed both in anger and embarrassment. "Here you are."

"Thanks." He takes the book, his hand brushing mine just so slightly while doing so. "Lloyd's already left?" He then asks, noticing the deserted reading area.

"Yes, he left half an hour ago. Because we were actually supposed to close five minutes ago." I inform him, struggling to hide the anger in my voice. But he is still a customer, so I give him a forced smile. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, could you please give this to Lloyd when you see him next time?" He hands me a signed _Starfarers_ collection card. 'Special Limited Edition', as it says on it.

"I am sorry, but this is a comic book store." I tell him.

"And?" He shrugs.

"We _sell_ these cards. I cannot just take this from you and give it to a customer, that's not how business works."

"Well, I am sure _Rufus_ won't mind, because these should be good for _his_ business." He hands me five more cards, a cocky smile on his face. _What an arrogant asshole..._

"O-okay."

Now that he has got what he came for, I expect him to leave, but he remains in his spot, scrutinising my features. "When did you start here, Antonia Smith?" He asks, apparently having read my name tag. I am not in the mood for a conversation with him and I am tired and desperate to close the shop and go home, but he obviously knows my boss and I don't want to risk getting any complaints during my first week.

"Just this week. This is only my third working day." I therefore say.

"Yeah, the newbies always get to do the Friday evenings. Chamille, who worked this shift before you, was pretty scary." He tells me. Sounds like he has already annoyed a few of my coworkers before me. Although, I have to agree with him about Chamille... "I am sure we will see each other more often then. I am Jason, by the way. But my friends call me Jay."

"Nice to meet you, _Jason_." I reply. My friends call me Toni, but I am not going to tell that to that arrogant prick.

"The pleasure is all mine, _Nya_." He winks at me. "Well, I better get going now. I'll see you next Friday." He turns and finally leaves the store.

"I can't wait for that." I hiss between gritted teeth. "And I am _not_ Nya."


	2. Week 2

**Thanks for the lovely comments on the first chapter!**

 **Guest: Thank you. Hope you like this chapter as well.**

 **NinjagoNya6: Thanks. And don't worry, she will ;).**

* * *

Week 2

 _Friday afternoon_

Today, Jason arrives about forty minutes before closing time, holding a steaming paper cup in his hand. Lloyd, who is curled up on one of the sofas, excitedly drops the book he is reading and jumps up.

"Jayyy." The short boy happily bounces towards the auburn-haired young man and wraps his arms around his waist. I am surprised at this display. Lloyd seems to be such a smart kid, what does he see in this jerk?

"Easy, kid." Jason laughs, balancing the paper cup in one hand and affectionately ruffling the boys hair with his free hand. "Lemme talk to Miss Nya first, then I'll have some time for you, okay?"

"Oh, you mean Miss Antonia? Okay." Lloyd agrees, sounding a bit disappointed. "She is over there."

When Jason arrives at the checkout, I already have found his stupid comic book, just so I can get rid of it and of him as fast as possible.

"Hi Nya." He smiles at me.

"Good evening Jason." I give him a forced smile back and slide the book over the counter towards him. "Here is your new edition of _Starfarers_. Enjoy."

"Thanks." He picks up the book. "Uhm, listen." He looks down and suddenly appears a lot less cocky. "I-I wanted to apologise for last week. I got stuck in a massive traffic jam on the way here so I was running late and a bit stressed. And... I might have come over a bit rude."

I want to give a harsh answer, but when I see the crestfallen look on his face, I give him a little smile instead. "It's okay. Yes, you _were_ quite rude, but we're fine now." I reply. "And I was quite exhausted myself and not really at my best either I guess."

"I noticed that you looked quite tired last week." He hands me the cup. "Starting a new job is always exhausting. That's why I brought you this, also as kind of apology. Hope you like cappuccino."

"Thank you, Jason." I take a sip. "And yes, I _like_ it."

"But it's not your favourite, right?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Just from the way you said it." He explains. "Growing up with a lot of actors around you, you learn to spot when someone really means something and when they don't..."

I blush. "You are right. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I still like it and I appreciate the gesture."

"Now, that's _finally_ an honest reply." Just when I am starting to revise my opinion about him, he falls back to his previous arrogant behaviour. "So, what _is_ your favourite coffee?"

This is my turn to smirk. "If you really want to know, you'll have to figure it out yourself." I state.

"Challenge accepted."He grins confidently, not knowing that it's going to take him five weeks and five more coffees before he will finally get the right one. "But you'll have to excuse me for now, Miss Nya. I have an appointment with young Master Lloyd over there."

I watch as he sits down on the sofa next to the boy and pulls a bag of jellies from his pocket. They open the bag and start munching the sweets, while enthusiastically chatting about something. I don't understand what they are talking about, probably something comic book related, but it's quite cute watching them. And it almost looks like Jason genuinely cares about the kid. Maybe he really was trying to be nice to me earlier... and maybe I should give him another chance.

When Misako comes to collect her son a few minutes later, the older boy gets up as well and gives Lloyd a quick hug. "Bye, little buddy."

"Bye, Jay. And I am not little." The boy pouts.

"No, you are right, big boy." Jason laughs.

"Bye, Nya." He then calls to me, before he leaves. "See you next week."

"Bye, Jason." I call back, not bothering to correct him about how to address me. "Bye, Lloyd. I'll see you on Monday."

"Bye, Miss Nya." Lloyd echoes. "Have a good weekend."

Okay, I guess I'll just have to get used to that name...


	3. Weeks 3-7

Weeks 3-6

The next weeks have just flown by, I can hardly believe there are only three more weeks until I finally finish school. I have already applied to a few colleges and received some offers, but I still have to make my final decision on _what_ I want to do and _where_ I want to do it.

My part-time job is going well and I am a lot less exhausted now compared to the beginning. Every Friday, Jay turns up to collect his comic book, bringing a different type of coffee each time. Some of the creations are, well, let's say, _interesting_ , and after two completely failed attempt, Jay has realised that I don't like any flavoured stuff at all. He hasn't given up though, which is really sweet of him.

He also brings a little treat for Lloyd every time, either some sweets or some collectibles, even a little Fritz Donnegan toy handgun once. And two or three times, he has left a couple of items for Rufus, too.

I have started to join the guys in the reading area (whenever my job permits and there are no other customers in the shop), and Jay and I even continue our conversation, after the younger boy has gone home.

Yes, I refer to him as Jay now. I honestly don't remember when I switched to using the short version of his name, it just kinda happened. But I know that he has noticed it, because every time I do, I see a little smile on his handsome face.

He still calls me Nya, and so does Lloyd. But I don't mind anymore; to be honest I actually like it. So, I have decided not to tell Jay about my 'real' nickname, although I do see him as a friend now.

Once you get beyond that arrogant façade, Jay is a really nice and charming guy. And just because he is the son of a rich and famous movie star doesn't automatically mean he's always had it that easy.

Jay's mother passed away, when he was still a baby, and he seems to have a rather strained relationship with his father, the famous actor Cliff Gordon. Because his father was often away, either filming or promoting his new movies, the little boy was mainly raised by the housekeeper and her husband (who is also the Gordon Estate's caretaker), a lovely now-elderly couple called Edna and Ed Walker. He told me that his younger self would sometimes even address them as 'mum' and 'dad', especially when he was upset with his father.

I have also found out that Jay is a year older than me, so he's just finishing his first year of college. He hasn't told me yet what he does, he has only mentioned that he stops here at the comic book store when he drives home for the weekend. Apparently, the family live in a grand mansion somewhere between Ignacia and Ninjago City.

I really should ask him about his college life next time. And maybe he can give me some advice about what to do myself.

* * *

Week 7

 _Friday afternoon_

This is an incredibly boring day at _Doomsday Comics._ It's been raining non stop, and I have been more or less on my own all afternoon. Nobody wants to leave their warm and dry home just to buy a comic book. And Lloyd is off sick, he has had a bad cough all week.

I am wondering if Jay is going to make it today.

I break into a huge smile when I finally hear the door going and see the auburn haired boy stumble into the store. He is soaking wet and laden like a mule, carrying two paper cups, a giant poster tub, and a cellophane bag containing lots of colourful lollipops.

I laugh and quickly go over to him, taking the poster tub from his shoulders and leaning it against the counter.

"Thanks Nya." He flashes me a smile that is definitely brighter that everything else I've seen in this grey weather today. "What an awful day..."

"I know." I agree. "You are like the first customer I've had all afternoon. Even Lloyd is sick with a bad cold."

"Poor chap." Jay says. He holds up the bag with the lollies. "What are we going to do with these then?" He winks at me.

"I will give them to him on Monday, but I am sure he won't mind if two are missing." I smile back. "Why don't you sit down and and I'll get you a towel."

"Thanks, Nya." Jay puts down the two paper cups on the table, before he takes of his soaked jacket and takes a seat on the sofa, careful not to touch the fabric with the wet legs of his trousers.

In the meantime, I go to the small staff room. On a normal day, I would go for a swim before coming to work, but today was not the best day for a visit to Ignacia's outdoor pool, so I take an unused blue towel from my sports bag and give it to Jay. He gratefully accepts it and dries his hair.

"These are some posters for my dad's upcoming movie, I got him to sign them." Jay explains, gesturing towards the poster tub. "Rufus wants to put them up in the store, when the film gets released in two weeks." He opens one of the lollies and tries it. "Mmh, strawberry and cream." He remarks.  
"No problem, I'll let him know. He will be ecstatic for sure." I look at the two paper cups sitting on the table. "And what else did you bring?" I enquire. "I bet you could use a hot drink more than I do today."

"Ugh, no. I wouldn't drink _that_." He pulls a disgusted face. "This one is a simple regular coffee, and the other cup contains some milk. I also had a few sachets of sugar in my coat, but they are probably unusable now." His stunning blue eyes lock with my brown ones. "Nya, I know you said I'd have to find out myself what your favourite coffee is, and I am always one to accept a challenge, but I also know when it's time to admit defeat. I have watched your reaction to the different drinks and I still don't have the slightest clue as to what you might like best. So, I am running out of ideas and I give up. Please, just tell me what you like."

Instead of replying, I slide the two cups towards me. I open the lids and pour some milk into the coffee before I take a sip. I wink at Jay. "Took you long enough."

"Well, I don't _like_ losing, so..."

I interrupt him. "No, I meant, it took you long enough to figure it out."

He looks at me, slack jawed. "Y-you mean, you just drink _normal_ coffee?"

"Yep." I take another sip from my favourite hot drink before I lean back on the sofa. "Regular coffee with only a tiny bit of milk and no sugar. Just like this."

"You are a very strange girl, Nya." Jay grins. "But I like you. A lot."

I don't want to show him how flustered I am, so I ignore the second statement and pretend to be offended about his first remark. "You're calling me strange?" I pout playfully. "Mr I-am-nineteen-years-old-and-and-still-can't-survive-a-single-week-without-getting-my-new-comic-book, huh?"

At first, he doesn't react to that joke, so I am getting a bit worried if I have upset him by calling him childish. But then he finally speaks.

"Nya, can I tell you a secret?" He asks quietly.

"Of course, you can." I place my hand on his. "You can trust me. We're friends, right?" "We are." He nods.

"I actually stopped _reading_ these comics about two year ago." He admits. "I only still _buy_ them so I have a reason to drop by."

"Why that?" I frown.

"When I was younger, I would spend a lot of time here reading comics, just like Lloyd does now. Back then, Rufus was still working here himself most of the time. So, even when I lost interest in these comics, I would still come here and buy something, just to have a chat with him. And then, when I started college, he offered to save me a copy, and I-I just couldn't say no. Even though he is now slowly retiring from running the shop **[I made him older than he is in the show]** , I still feel like I need to express my gratitude to him."the

"So, that's why you keep bringing all these things for the shop and for Lloyd?" I guess.

"Yes. There are a lot more modern shops in the City now, but _Doomsday Comics_ will always have some exclusive _Starfarer_ items, which brings a lot of customers here. My dad doesn't mind, he gets so much stuff for free. And Lloyd reminds me so much of myself. It always made me so happy, when someone would give me a little treat or spend a few minutes talking to me. He's a great kid, who deserves some attention."

"And you're a really great guy." Realising what I have just said, we both blush profoundly at the same time.

At his moment, the phone in his pocket buzzes. Having a reason to avert my gaze, he looks at the message he has just received.

"Uhm, I-I need to get home now, dinner is ready and everyone is just waiting for me." Jay jumps up and puts on his still soaking wet jacket, making him shiver. "And mu-ahem, Edna is getting worried, she doesn't like me driving in the dark, especially in this weather. I will see you next week, Nya."

"Oh, okay." I struggle to hide my slight disappointment. "Bye, Jay."

After he has left, I close the shop - almost half an hour late. On my way home I realise that, due to his abrupt leaving, I didn't get to ask Jay for his advice on my college career choices. And I didn't get to tell him that I won't be working next Friday.

I hope he won't be too disappointed when I am not there then. Or, maybe I hope he will be.


	4. Week 8 (Part 1)

Week 8

 _Friday morning_

Wow, what a difference to a 'normal' Friday this is! This place is nothing like our little _Ignacia High School_ or the cosy comic book store...

This morning, Sky and I are at the _Ninjago Institute of Technology._ I _still_ haven't decided on what I am going to study, but I have always enjoyed the more technical subjects, so we are attending the NIT Open Day for prospect students that is taking place today. Sky isn't really interested in _any_ of the programmes here, she is going to do an MBA at _Ninjago City University_ (NCU). But as my amazing best friend (and girlfriend to my protective older brother who wouldn't let me go on my own), she has offered to accompany – and drive – me here.

Despite the early hours, the impressive campus is already buzzing, and we are struggling to find our way. I am glad to have someone with me. And I see that it was the right decision to take the afternoon off, as it might take us a while to get around and to see everything on my list. But I can't say that I haven't been feeling bad about not telling Jay about it. I am wondering whether I should ask him for his number next time I see him. And why can't I just stop thinking about him?

Right now I really need to focus on the task ahead, I am here to...

"Nya?"

As usual, my friend's scarlet hair and overall appearance have already caught a lot of attention. So, I am very surprised when I hear somebody call my name. And I know only two people who would use _this_ name...

Yes, when I turn around, I find myself looking into those captivating blue eyes I have missed all week. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

"Jay?" I say back. "I could ask you the same..."

"Wha-Wait a minute." Skylor interferes, before either of us can reply. She pulls me aside and gives me a questioning look. "Toni. Before we go any deeper into this conversation. Who is this guy? He looks kinds familiar but I can't really put a name to him... How do you know him? And, who is _Nya_?"

I blush. "Uhm, long or short version?"

"Short version should do for now."

"This guy is Jason Gordon. He's the son of Cliff Gordon so you might have seen pictures of him in the newspaper. I know him from my job at the comic book. And, I am Nya, that's what he calls me."

"Antonia Smith, I cannot believe you have haven't told me about him." Skylor shakes her head in disbelief. "Okay. I think I want to hear the _very_ long version on the way home. Unless you want Kai to find out about your secret boyfriend..."

"He's _not_ my boyfriend, just a good friend." I tell her, just as I keep telling myself. "But okay." I accept. We turn back to Jay and I give him a little smile. "Jay, this is Skylor, my best friend - and she's dating my brother." I add, before he gets any ideas. Because that's how it usually goes. "We are here for the Open Day." I explain.

"Hi Skylor. I am very happy to finally meet a friend of Nya's." Jay politely greets her. He then directs his attention back to me, completely ignoring my beautiful friend. "And it's great to see you here. I study here, you know. Tell me, where are you going? I can show you the way if you want..."

"We're on our way to the School of Engineering, I want to do the introduction and lab tour. Do you know where it is?"

"Really?" His face breaks into a bright smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is so amazing, I am a student at the engineering department as well. Hey, what about I'll tell you about the courses and show you around the labs? Saves you a lot of time in the queue."

"Sounds great." I smile back. "Let's go. Are you coming with us?" I ask my friend.

But Skylor shakes her head. "Oh, you know. I am not that into engineering. But there is going to be a super interesting lecture at the School of Chemistry. On... uhm, organic stereochemistry. Or something like that. So, why don't you two do the tour and I'll see you later?" She winks at me, before she storms off in the opposite direction.

"Sorry about that. Skylor, she just... loves organic chemistry..." I struggle to keep a straight face. If there's one subject at school my friend really hates, it's chemistry.

"Okay, fine with me." Jay doesn't seem to mind her absence. "Now, let's go." He takes my hand and pulls me with him, before I even get a chance to answer. When we arrive at the School of Engineering, he shows me absolutely everything and even explains it in every little detail. I have to admit that his enthusiasm is both cute and contagious.

It is almost lunch time when we are back at the main door of the institute. "Wow, that was very interesting, thank you so much." I tell my 'tour guide'. "It really helped me to realise that this is _exactly_ what I want to do as well."

"I am so happy that you liked it. Believe me, it's the best thing ever. And... I would love to see you around here next year, you know?"

I feel a slight blush creep on my face and look down, only to notice that our hands are still entwined, which then causes me to blush even more.

"Thanks. That would be _nice_ , I guess." I let go of his hand and try not to sound too excited. No matter what Skylor or anyone else might think, he is just being nice to a friend. Why should someone like him be interested in me?

"I think it would be _awesome_." Jay corrects me. "And if you want to study here, you also need to know the really important places here. Do you want to go for lunch?" He suggests.

I agree and follow him to the 'most important location at NIT', as he calls it. To my surprise, he doesn't take me to the main restaurant, but to a small coffee shop located in one of the parks on campus. We each get a bowl of homemade soup and a freshly prepared panini, before we take a table outside.

"Jay Gordon. I've been trying to call you all morning." I am just about to take a bit of my delicious smelling sandwich, when we hear a booming male voice shout out my friend's name. A tall black-haired male appears next to our table, furrowing his bushy dark eyebrows. "What's the point of having the latest phone on the market, when you don't know how to use it?" He complains to the auburn-haired young man sitting next to me.

Jay blushes, checking his pockets. "Uhm, I think I forgot it at the apartment." He replies, his cheeks beet red in embarrassment.

"That's a great place to leave it. Luckily, I know exactly where to find you at this time of the day. You accidentally took my keys this morning. Sel and I are going to Nom for the weekend and we have to set off soon." He places a key set with a little LEGO Yoda on the table, while Jay rummages through his pockets and finally takes out another set of keys, this one guarded by a Darth Vader minifigure. "Sorry." He mumbles, returning them to Cole.

"And I am sorry to interrupt your lunch date." He grins at me, offering his hand. "Hi, I am Cole, Jay's flatmate and best friend since primary school."

"Super annoying best friend in the whole world." Jay confirms, with a happy smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you Cole." I shake his hand. "I am Antonia, you can call me To-ahem... you can call me Nya."

Cole stares at me, his eyes wide open. " _You_ are Nya? For the past seven weeks, Jay has been talking about you, but I didn't know... Seriously, I have to take a picture and send it to Sel, otherwise she won't believe that you actually _exist_."

And I cannot believe that he has told his friends about me.

"Cole, I _hate_ you." Jay hisses, having taken a huge interest in the appearance of his chicken club sandwich.

But his friend is either oblivious to or, more likely, unimpressed by Jay's obvious annoyance. He takes out his phone and snaps a picture of us, before he leaves as abruptly as he has appeared. "I'll see you on Monday." He yells.

"I am sooo sorry." Jay tells me, vigorously stirring his carrot and coriander soup. "Cole the most amazing friend one could wish for, but he can sometimes be a real pain in the arse. And Seliel, his girlfriend, is even worse..."

"Isn't that what best friends are supposed to be like?" I laugh, before I suddenly realise that I have completely forgotten about _my_ best friend

"Damn it, I should have called Skylor after the tour." I exclaim. "I bet she's either worried or angry at me. Or both." I take my phone from my bag and see that I have three missed calls and 26 messages. I call my friend.

"Skylor? I am so, so, so sorry that I didn't answer earlier. The tour took so long, and it was so interesting. And then Jay took me for lunch and... please, don't be mad at me!" I break out in a long monologue of excuses, as soon as she answers her phone.

"Hey, don't worry, it's fine." She replies calmly. "I got a blanket and my ebook reader from the car as well as a coffee from the coffee shop, so I am just in one of the parks and really enjoying having a day off school. And you can just take this as your payback for all these times you had to go clothes shopping for my dates with your brother."

"Thanks, Sky. You're the best."

"I know." I can practically see the smirk on her face, Kai is totally rubbing off on her. "Hope you've had a good time."

"Oh, absolutely. And I have finally managed to decide what I'm going to do."

"Well, that's the main thing." Sky sounds very happy. Or maybe she's just relieved that she won't have to deal with my undecidedness anymore. "And did you spend a nice morning with Jay? You two are sooo cute together, I wanna hear _everything_." She squeals. Phew, I am so glad that I didn't put my phone on speaker.

"There isn't much to hear, but I will tell you anyway. Do you want to meet now? We're almost finished with our lunch."

"No problem, take your time. I won't go anywhere. I know there were a few more places you wanted to see, so just call me when you're done."

"Okay, love ya, Sky."

"You too, Toni. Have fun."

I end the call and put my phone back in my bag. "Skylor is fine, and she's not mad at me." I sigh in relief.

"Did she enjoy her lecture?" Jay enquires.

"Uhm, she didn't actually go to any lecture." I don't want to lie. "She isn't really interested in any science or technical stuff at all. She just came here with me, because she's a great friend. And because we could get a day off school."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that much, when she stormed off in the wrong direction earlier. But, I was actually quite happy to spend the morning with you." He smiles.

"Me too." I smile back. "I hope you didn't miss anything important because of me."

"On no, I didn't miss anything important. We had no classes this morning, because of the Open Day. And most of the courses are already finished for the summer anyway. When I spotted you, I was on my way to the library to study, but this was a lot more fun." Jay checks his watch. "I'll just have to leave in about an hour for a practical class this afternoon."

"That means you still have time for a coffee?" I ask. "I could get one for you this time. What would you like?"

 _Please don't make me guess._

Jay blushes. "Oh, I don't like coffee at all." He tells me. "But if it's fine with you, I would love a hot chocolate, please."

"And you have called me strange..." I smirk. "What kind of college student doesn't drink coffee?"

I go inside to get one hot chocolate for Jay and a coffee with milk for me. When he sees that I have added some mini marshmallows to his drink, Jay looks as happy as a child on Christmas Morning. Ugh, how can anyone drink this stuff, it is way too sweet for my likings.

"I was surprised to find that the son of a famous movie star is just an ordinary student..." I remark, stirring my coffee.

"Oh, but I am not _just an ordinary student_." Jay protests with a smile. "I am an _excellent_ student." He jokes, making both of us laugh.

"My apologies, it would never dare to doubt your amazing skills, Mr Gordon." I tease him. "But, why did you choose to do this?"

"I've _always_ loved to build stuff, even as a young child." Jay explains. "Whenever Ed – Mr Walker, I've told you about him, haven't I?" I nod. "Well, whenever he had to fix things in the house, he would let me help. And then, when I was a bit older, I got my own little workshop in the basement. My dad wasn't too happy about my passion for inventing, he would have preferred to see me follow his career path. When I was younger, I had some small parts in his films and did a couple of commercials, but I didn't really enjoy it. And eventually my dad had to accept my decision." He then gives me a serious look. "Nya, I am still not a _normal_ student. As you already know, I don't drink coffee. I don't even need it. But there's more. I didn't have to take a students' loan, I don't have to work part-time, and I don't live in the students' residence. Right before I started here, Cliff bought an apartment close to the campus. And the only reason I share the place with my best bro is because I find living on my own too boring. Pretty much the same goes for Cole. His father is a famous singer; he even went through almost the same thing with his dad as me."

"Wow." I whisper, not really knowing what else to say, so I take a sip of my coffee.

It's not that I didn't know where he comes from, but he has never really talked about his father's money before. Why does he bring it up now?

"I-I hope you don't think I told you this, because I wanted to show off or make you uncomfortable, Nya." Jay answers those unspoken questions. "It's just, that's part of who I am. For me, this is my normal life, and I don't want it to ever come between us in the future. Because... the more I get to know you, the more I like you."

Jay's face has turned the shade of lobster, but I don't think mine looks much different... "I-I like you, too." I mumble.

"So, are you going to visit any more schools, either here today or at other universities?" Jay asks to break the moment of awkward silence.

I look up and shake my head. "No, I don't need to see any more places. Thanks to you, I have found exactly what I've been looking for." My eyes lock with his, as I lean closer to him. It's not just the tour and the courses I am talking about now.

"Me too." Jay replies, cupping my face with his soft hands.

And at the same moment that our lips meet, I change my opinion about hot chocolate.


	5. Week 8 (Part 2)

Week 8

 _Friday afternoon_

After we finish our drinks, we still have some time, before Jay has to go to his class, so we take a walk across the campus while we continue our conversation.

My reason for coming here today was (and, despite the little distraction, still is) to learn more about the NIT, so Jay keeps explaining and pointing out the different schools and other facilities for me.

We finally arrive back at the main plaza, where we met this morning.

I smile at Jay. "Thanks for the tour and lunch and... everything. I really had a great time today."

"Me too." He smiles back, letting go of my hand and placing his own hands on my waist. "And no need to thank me, I am just trying to recruit the best and most beautiful future engineering student for the university."

"I have to say, the NIT has a very nice way to treat their prospect students." I wink at him. "But if you just wanted to convince me to _study_ here, you already got me with the lab tour this morning..."

"No, don't worry. Not all of this is part of the normal _Open Day_ procedure here." He replies, before he leans in to kiss me goodbye. "But I am glad it worked..."

"Yeah, it did." I mumble against his lips.

We reluctantly break apart. "I'm afraid I have to go to my class now. Will I see you later, Nya?" Jay asks hopefully.

I remember that last week I didn't get to tell him that I wasn't going to be at the comic book store this afternoon. I couldn't know how long my visit here would take, so I've swapped shifts with one of my coworkers - Chamille, the 'scary one' - who was _not_ happy about having to do a double shift on a Friday afternoon/evening. But I really don't want to disappoint him, not after all he has done for me today. And I am sure Chamille wouldn't mind swapping back...

I check my watch. As I said to Jay earlier, I have already made up my mind about what I'm going to do, so I don't really need to attend any more lab tours or lectures here. And I even just got my own private tour of the campus, which means I now only need to get a couple of forms from the registration office, find my best friend, invite her for an ice cream to say thank you (and bribe her into not telling my brother about Jay yet), before we'll head home. And that means I could still make it to the store well in time for 'my' shift, which starts at four.

"Sure." I reply. "Same place as usual. I'll see you later."

* * *

When I arrive at the comic book store, just five minutes past four, Lloyd is already there. As soon as I walk through the door, he immediately runs towards me.

"Nyyyaaa." The small boy happily embraces me. "I thought you weren't coming today and I would be stuck here with... her." He glances at my purple-haired colleague, who is watching us from her place behind the counter.

I chuckle. "Oh, c'mon. Chamille is a very nice person - as long as you don't get on her wrong side."

"Yeah, but I somehow manage to do that all the time..." Lloyd admits meekly.

Chamille walks over to us. "I hate to interrupt your cute little family reunion, but I am leaving now." She informs us, handing me the store keys. This is the first time I see a little smile on her face. "Thanks for taking the shift back, Antonia. I have better things to do on a Friday evening than dealing with the little brat or the annoying rich kid..." I bet she's referring to Jay.

"Oh, no problem. I don't mind dealing with either of them." I reply.

Today is a rather busy day at the store - which is great for the business but unfortunately doesn't give me much time with my young friend. But Lloyd appears quite content, he quietly sits on the sofa, reading his comics and finishing the bag of lollies he's been working on all week.

And to both our surprise, Jay arrives very early today, balancing a cupholder with four paper cups in his hands. I am busy serving the other customers, so he just flashes me a smile and sits down on the sofa opposite to Lloyd's in the reading area.

When I finally get to join them, they are already half way finished with their hot chocolates. Guessing from stains and the wide grin on Lloyd's face, their drinks must have been topped with loads of whipped cream.

I sit down next to Jay and steal a marshmallow from his cup.

"Hey." He complains. "I thought you didn't like this sweet stuff..."

He wraps an arm around me and plants a small and _very_ chocolaty kiss on my lips.

"I don't know, something - or someone - must have changed my mind..." I wink at him and peck his lips again. "You're early today."

"Final class of the term, we only had to finish and submit our projects."

"Ewww." We hear someone complain from the other side. Blushing slightly, pull apart and turn our heads to see Lloyd pulling a disgusted face. "What are you doing there? That's gross."

"Sorry, kiddo..." My _boyfriend_ starts. "You'll... ahem... learn about that when you're older."

"Jay, I am _twelve_ years old and not five, I know about that kind of... stuff." Lloyd says in all seriousness. "So, are you two dating?"

We look at each other. "Yes... ahem... I mean, are we?" Jay asks carefully.

"Yes, I think we are..." I confirm with a smile.

"So, when are you getting married then?" The child excitedly bounces on the sofa. "Can I come to the wedding? Pleeeaaase. I've never been to one... I promise I'll be good. And when I am older, I can babysit for you..."

I decide to let a beet red Jay deal with the boy's questions and instead busy myself with _slowly_ adding some milk to my coffee (which, by the way, is quite challenging when you are trying to suppress a laughter!).

"Uhm... you know. I like Nya... a lot. But we are just getting to know each other, so we'll just... have to see how this works out." Jay uncomfortably explains. "But _if_ we ever decide to get married, we'll definitely invite you."

"You'll be the first person on our guest list." I agree, and Lloyd beams at us.

"Speaking of guest lists... I have something for you." Before the boy can ask any further questions that we might not want to answer, Jay pulls a crumpled envelope from his pocket and hands it to him.

"Oooh, what is it?" Lloyd asks, well distracted from our current conversation.

"Smooth move." I whisper to Jay, while our young friend rips open the envelope to reveal two pieces of shiny cardboard.

"I know you and your best friend Brad are two of the biggest _Starfarers_ fans, so these are are tickets for the première of my dad's new movie next Saturday." When Jay tells him, Lloyd jumps over the table between the sofas and wraps his arms around the older boy.

"Thank you, Jay." He sobs. "This is sooo cool."

"No problem, Lloyd. My dad insists that I go, although he knows that I hate these kind of events. He therefore gave me a few extra tickets so that I can bring some friends. The film was made for the people who love the franchise and not for all the celebrities who just show up for the party and to have their picture taken on the red carpet." Jay explains. "I have another ticket for Rufus. And another one for Nya... if you want it."

"You want me to come as well?" I asked surprised. "As a _friend_ , or as a _girlfriend_?"

Jay blushes again. "Both, actually."

Luckily, Lloyd is busy texting his friend to tell him about the tickets, so we can talk more privately.

Jay takes my hands into his. "Nya, I would prefer to take you a more private date. And I promise you that it _will_ happen, but Cliff is going to keep me busy this weekend and the next one. So, would you accompany me to my dad's movie première? You have met Cole, he and his girlfriend are coming as well. But I know that it is quite a lot to ask of you, so you really don't have to if you don't want to..."

I shake my head, "No, no, I'd love to. It sounds fun. It's just... if I come as your _date_ , that would make it quite... official, right?"

"I guess so. There will be a lot of photographers and such, and they will probably take pictures and publish stuff about my new beautiful _girlfriend_. If you are not ready for that, you can come just as a _friend_ , that's fine as well. I just would like you to be there."

I look into his eyes. "No, I think I am ready to be your official girlfriend." To be honest, I am surprised by myself. "Under two conditions..."

Jay questioningly raises an eyebrow. "Which would be?"

"One: you'll have to meet my brother. I can't have him find out about us from the newspapers." _That will be fun, but maybe I can get Sky for some moral support - even though I know she is going to make fun of me: This morning I insisted that Jay was just a friend; this afternoon I asked her not to tell my brother about my boyfriend yet, and now we are going to make it official..._

"No problem, I would have suggested I'll pick you up from your place anyway. And two?"

I smile at him. " _You_ 'll have to be _my_ date for my graduation in two weeks."


	6. Week 9 (Part 1)

**Thanks a lot for the lovely reviews on the previous chapter(s), and my apologies for taking such a long time to get this update finshed, I was a bit caught up in my other projects...**

 **This 'week' is going to have two (or maybe even three) parts again.  
**

* * *

Week 9 (Part 1)

 _Saturday late afternoon_

A sigh escapes my lips as I look through my wardrobe for the umpteenth time today, just confirming once again that I don't have anything even remotely suitable to wear at the movie première tonight.

I knew it was a mistake to leave the question of my outfit until the last minute. Not that it would have mattered anyway.

I may not be a fan of these glossy magazines some of my friends go crazy about, but I am _not_ stupid. I know what red carpet outfits usually look like, and I would have never been able to afford that kind of dress.

And, to be honest, I _hate_ wearing fancy dresses.

The more I think about it, the more I reach the conclusion that accepting Jay's invitation was a huge mistake. As much as I want it, I don't think I am ready to be his date at a public event tonight. And I am definitely not ready to be his date at a red carpet event tonight.

As I turn away from the wardrobe and sit on my bed, my glance falls on my phone on the nightstand. I am wondering if it is too late to cancel. Jay will probably never speak to me again if I do.

A knock on the door snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Toni?" I hear my best friend's voice. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." I reply. "The door's open."

Skylor enters the room. "You've been hiding in your room for so long, Kai and I were getting worried about you." She must have noticed the crestfallen look on my face. "Hey, what's the matter, honey? You don't have to be sad, your _boyfriend_ will be here soon."

Yes, I admit it. I have missed him all week, and I haven't managed to hide it very well from my friend.

Jay didn't even make it to the comic book store, because he had to go to a press screening with his father yesterday. But at least, it must have gone well, the film has got some very positive reviews.

But back to my current problem…

"I can't do this." I tell Skylor. "I don't have anything to wear, and I just don't belong on a red carpet."

I am expecting to hear something like _Why didn't you say so earlier? I would have loved to go dress shopping with you._ But my best friend just gives me a comforting hug.

"Don't worry, Toni." She says. "You don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable about. I am sure Jay will understand. But you should tell him in person. It wouldn't be fair to just send him a text."

I nod. "Okay." She is right.

At that moment, we hear the doorbell. _And it would be too late now anyway…_

We race down the stairs, but my brother has already opened the door to let Jay enter our small house. As they politely shake hands and introduce themselves to each other, I take a good look at my boyfriend.

Wow. He certainly did not have a problem to find the right outfit. Jay is dressed in a black two-piece tuxedo, completed by a white dinner shirt and a black bow-tie. His auburn hair, which I am used to it being in a slightly messy state after the drive between university and the comic book store, is nicely combed to the side. And while the silk material of his attire shimmers nicely, it is nowhere near as bright as the sparkle in his blue eyes or the bright smile that creeps on his face when he sees me.

"Nya." He plants a chaste kiss on my lips, before greeting my brother's girlfriend with a short peck on the cheek. "Nice to see you again, Skylor."

"I am happy to see you, too." She replies. "Why don't you and Toni sit down in the living room, while Kai and I get us something to drink?" She suggests, winking at me. "What would you like?"

"Could I just have some water, please. I am driving." Jay replies. Yes, that answer must have scored him some points with my protective big brother.

"I'll have the same, please." I say, giving my friend a grateful smile.

As the other two disappear in the kitchen, Jay and I take a seat on the sofa. Jay puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses me again, this time a lot longer and deeper. As much as I enjoy it, I am getting more and more anxious about the rest of the evening. Jay hasn't _said_ anything about me wearing a pair of skinny navy jeans and light blue tank top, instead of anything formal, but he must have noticed...

"Are you alright?" He asks, when we break apart. "Your hands are shaking."

"I…" I swallow. "I am sorry, but I can't go to the movie première with you." I tell him. "Believe me, I-I would love to go on a date with you, but… this is just not my world." I explain.

"No, _I_ am sorry." He states. "I have grown up like this, so I sometimes forget that these events can be quite intimidating. It was a stupid idea to choose this for our first date. Sure, I would love to show off my lovely girlfriend, but what I really want is to spend a nice evening with you."

He gently tucks a strand of black hair behind my ear. "How about this?" He suggests. "We take the back entrance and sneak into the theatre when everyone else is already inside? Our seats are at the back, so nobody will notice. And we can leave anytime you want."

I nod. "That sounds good. But… I'll still need to find something to wear."

"I think I can help you with this." I turn my head to see my brother standing in the doorframe. Skylor is standing behind him, grinning widely and giving me a thumbs-up. I bet they have spied on us, _not_ getting four glasses of water can't have taken them that long…

Kai smiles at me. "C'mon."

I follow him up the stairs and into our parents' old bedroom. He opens our late mother's closet and pulls out a beautiful red lace cheongsam dress. I remember seeing it on old pictures, when Kai and I were little.

"This was mum's favourite." My brother explains. "I am sure you will look beautiful in it."

He leaves me alone, and I change into the long mermaid style dress. Our mother was slightly taller than I am, so I put on my black high-heels before I look at myself in the mirror.

 _Not too bad._ I think.

I quickly brush my straight, short hair and apply a tiny hint of makeup and my favourite crimson red lipstick. I don't own much jewellery, but my gold and ruby cuff bracelet fits just perfectly with the short-sleeved red dress.

While I carefully walk down the stairs again, I can hear the agitated voices of my brother and my boyfriend. Please, don't tell me they are arguing.

But as I get closer to the living room, it becomes clear that Kai and Jay are engaged in a heated discussion about the latest video games.

They fall silent, however, when I enter the room and carefully smile at them.

Skylor jumps up and embraces me happily.

"You look amazing." She tells me. "Doesn't she?" She asks her boyfriend.

Kai nods in agreement and joins us. "I've never realised how much you look like mum." He whispers to me. "She would be so proud of you, Antonia."

I feel some tears pricking my eyes. My brother is two years older than me, so he remembers a lot more than me of our parents who just disappeared, when we were still very young.

Over the years that followed, we've lived with several foster families, until my brother turned eighteen and became my legal guardian. After finishing school, Kai took over our parents' old blacksmith shop and we moved back into our old family home.

He's always been very protective of me, so I am glad that he and Jay seem to be getting along quite well.

Speaking of Jay… he hasn't said a single word since I've returned.

He is just staring at me, slack-jawed and a heavy blush on his freckled cheeks.

"Wow," He finally mutters. "You look… fantastic."


	7. Week 9 (Part 2)

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, it is really great (and very motivating) to see that people enjoy reading this story** **!**

 **I would also like to ask for some feedback on my ideas for this year's Christmas special. The details are in my** _ **Christmas Oneshots**_ **book, and I have also put up a poll on my profile. Many thanks to everyone who has already voted by review/PM! (I am going to put this note on all my updates until the end of the month…)**

* * *

Week 9 (Part 2)

 _Saturday evening_

It is already getting dark, when we leave my house, and Jay leads me to his car, which is parked just across the street. It is a small blue convertible – looks pretty new, pretty fast, and _very_ expensive.

"Nice car." I compliment his ride in my favourite colour.

"Thanks." Jay smiles at me. "My dad gave it to me as graduation gift, when I finished school. But to be honest, it is not the most practical car. As you can see, it's a two-seater, so I can never give my friends a lift. And the boot is incredibly small, I always struggle to fit all my stuff in there when I go home. When I brought that poster tube for Rufus with me, I even had to put it on the passenger seat." He gives me a sheepish look. "Ugh, I really shouldn't complain about having a car like this, you must think I'm nothing but a spoiled brat."

"Oh, don't worry. As you may remember, exactly that was my first impression of you." I wink at him.

Well, it actually was the _second_ impression I had of him. My _first_ thought, when he came into the comic book store just eight weeks ago, was that he was quite attractive…

"But then I learned that you're a _nice_ spoiled brat." I tease him, as he opens the passenger door for me, and I give him a quick kiss on the lips before I get into the car.

Jay gets into the driver's seat and starts the motor. It is so much quieter than my brother's old car, so we keep chatting during the drive to Ninjago City.

"Would you mind if I open the roof?" Jay asks.

"Sure." I reply. "It is a nice evening. And I have never been in a convertible before…"

"Oh, this is by far the best bit of this car. Unless it is raining, I _never_ drive with a closed roof."

"Now I know why your hair is always such a mess when you arrive the comic book store." I laugh.

Jay blushes. "I-I guess so. I really don't mind the wind. I've always preferred open spaces, and I love feeling a little breeze of air on my skin. But if you're not used to the draft, there's a cap in the glove compartment."

I open the glove compartment and take out a dark blue cap with a bright yellow lightning bolt.

"Cole and Sel gave it to me for my birthday." Jay explains. "My friends at school called me Flash Gordon. I used to be in the track team, you know?"

"I like it." I state, as I put it on. "How do I look?"

"It suits you." He smiles. "And it goes very well with the dress. I think you should keep it on."

"At least I could hide my face that way…" I mumble.

He puts one of his hands on mine and gives it a little squeeze. "I know this is easier said than done, but you really don't have to be afraid of this. Believe me, it's gonna be fun. And if you don't like it at all, you can just say it and I will take you home straight away."

I smile at him. "Thank you. I-I'll manage." I say, trying to sound more confident than I actually feel. But if I want to be a part of Jay's life, then I'll have to get used to _this_ part of his life as well...

I lean back in my seat and, looking up at the starry night sky, I can feel myself relaxing a bit. Jay is right, driving - or being driven - like this _is_ nice.

We soon arrive at the underground parking garage in the city centre, and Jay parks the car in a reserved space.

While the roof closes automatically, I remove the cap and check my hair in the little vanity mirror. As expected, Jay's previously nicely combed hair is a complete mess, but he doesn't seem to care. And neither do I, he looks a lot better this way.

"You ready?" He asks, before we get out of the car.

I nod. "I-I guess so."

"Then let's choppy-sock this lemonade stand." Jay says.

I giggle. "You have a strange sense of humour." _And I like it._

"And you have a beautiful laughter." He replies and gives me a quick kiss before we get out of the car.

"Lemme just take a few things." Jay opens the boot – he is right, it _is_ tiny – and takes two gift bags with the _Starfarers_ logo from it.

"Leftover presents from the press screening yesterday." He explains. "I brought these for Lloyd and Brad."

The further we walk up the old rusty back staircase, the more I can feel his grip on my hand tighten, until we arrive at a strong metal door. It looks like a fire exit.

Jay lets go of my hand and takes out his phone to send a message from it.

It doesn't take long, maybe only two minutes, before we hear voices from the other side of the door. When the door opens, we can see two people smiling at us.

"Good evening, Mr Gordon." An elderly man in a red uniform greets my boyfriend.

"Thank you so much for letting us in, Simon."

"No problem at all, Mr Gordon." His glance falls on me. "And Miss…?"

"Uhm, this is Miss Antonia Smith. My girlfriend." Jay introduces us, a proud smile on his face. "Nya, please meet Simon O'Leary. He owns the _Sunset Theatre_. But at special occasions like movie premières he still likes to be the usher himself."

Simon and I shake hands before we turn our attention to Cole, who is dressed in a similar way as my boyfriend.

Jay gives him a hug. "Thanks for your help, bro."

"No problem, mate." Cole then smiles at me. "Hi Nya. Didn't want to take the main entrance, huh?"

I blush. "Is it _that_ obvious?"

He shrugs. "Don't worry, it has happened to all of us before." He gives me an understanding look. "Everyone is already in the theatre. Your dad and the director are just giving the welcome speech, so we should probably get in before the film starts."

"Why don't the two of you go ahead, I'm gonna get us some snacks first." Jay says. "What would you like to drink?"

"Whatever you are having." I reply.

Jay's flatmate and I quietly sneak into the theatre and take our comfortable seats in the last row. A few places further down, I can spot Rufus and Lloyd, as well as a black-haired boy of the same age sitting next to my young friend, most likely his classmate and best friend Brad.

A pretty girl with pink hair is sitting between me and Cole. She smiles at me. "Hi. I am Seliel, Cole's girlfriend. You must be Antonia?"

"Yes, I am Nya." I smile back. "Nice to meet you, Seliel."

"It's great to finally meet you too, Nya. I've heard so much about you."

"Shhh." Someone in the row in front of us hisses.

Seliel chuckles. "As if those people were here for the movie." She smiles at me. "Let's talk later, okay?" The pink-haired girl turns away from me. She leans against her boyfriend, and Cole wraps his arm around her.

They both seem nice, I hope we can become friends.

Just as the film is about to start, Jay comes back, balancing two giant paper cups and a bucket of popcorn in his hands.

"There will be plenty of fancy food afterwards. But people still want popcorn for the film." He hands me one of the drinks before sitting down. "It's just coke. I never drink when I have to drive, that was not just an act for your brother."

"Thank you. Sorry you've missed the speeches because of me."

"That's fine, I've heard them way many times already."

I take a sip from my drink before I put the cup in the holder in my seat. I glance at Jay and find that he is looking at me.

"What?" I ask nervously, checking my dress for any spills. "Is anything wrong?"

Even in the dark room, I can see a light blush dusting his cheeks. "No, everything's alright." He smiles. "I am just glad you are here with me."

He puts an arm around me, and I snuggle into his side.

And this is the moment that I start to truly enjoy this evening.

At least for a while, I am going to forget about the formal event and just pretend that this is an ordinary cinema date with my extraordinary boyfriend (and with a bit of fancy 'dressing up', obviously).

"Me too." I reply.

And I mean it.

* * *

 **This was just a little filler chapter, there will be a lot more happening (well, mainly a lot more talking) in the next chapter!**


	8. Week 9 (Part 3)

Week 9 (Part 3)

 _Saturday evening_

I may be working at a comic book store and, thanks to my job and my brother, know a good bit about superheroes and -villains, but I have never been too much into all that myself. But I can't deny that I am truly enjoying the movie – although I am starting to think that this could also be related to the person sitting next to me.

About halfway through the film, Jay suddenly unwraps his arm from around me. I sit up and turn my head to give him a questioning look.

"Sorry, my fingers have fallen asleep." He whispers apologetically. "And as much as I like cuddling with you, I am not very good at sitting still for a long time." He stretches his arms and legs.

I giggle at his antics, earning another hiss and a harsh complaint from the couple in front of us.

"Do you maybe want to go outside?" Jay suggests. "I know you aren't too fond of superheroes, and I have seen this movie so many times already..."

I blush. "I actually like it. And your dad is a great actor."

"Yes, he is." Jay agrees, and I can see a cute smile forming on his face. They may not have always had the best relationship, but it is obvious that Jay is very proud and also very fond of his father.

I just smile back as take Jay's hand into mine and gently massage the palm and fingers with my thumb. "Does this help?"

"It does." Jay nods. "Thank you."

"Thanks for inviting me." I turn towards him and place a short kiss on his lips before sitting back in my seat, our hand still entwined.

I am wondering if – and when – Jay is planning on introducing me to his dad. I would very much like to meet my boyfriend's only living relative, although the idea of dealing with a movie star makes me rather nervous. Well, I guess Cliff Gordon is probably too busy tonight anyway. So I'll just have to wait and see.

We stay like this for the remainder of the film. During the end credits, Jay turns to me. "What do you want to do now?" He asks. "Do you want to leave, or are you okay to stay for the reception? I'd really like _us_ to stay, but it's totally up to you."

From my other side, I can see Seliel giving me an encouraging smile. I really would like to get to know her. And I also want to spend more time with my boyfriend.

"I-I'd like to stay." I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.

"That's great, Nya." Jay beams at me. "And no problem if you change your mind later. Just let me know, okay?" He gives my hand a little squeeze. "I've promised to take you home after the film if you aren't comfortable. And I'm a man of my word."

"Thanks." I smile. "You're cute, you know that?"

"Hey, I really mean it." He protests.

"So do I." Before he can say anything else, I press my lips against his. And Jay definitely doesn't object to that.

After the film and a few more speeches, we stay in our seats until more or less everyone else has left the theatre.

"Hey, buddy." Jay and I finally get to greet Lloyd.

"Hi Jay. Hey Nya. Uh, y-you look nice." Our young friend blushes when he sees us in our evening attire. He is wearing a black suit with a white shirt and green tie (which looks like it is from their school uniform).

"This is my classmate and best friend, Brad Tudabone." Lloyd introduces us to a black-haired boy of around the same age as him. "Brad, these are Jason Gordon and Antonia Smith, who are also my _friends_." The kid then announces proudly, and the other boy is visibly impressed. Even more so when Jay hands them their _Starfarers_ giftbag.

"Thanks, Jay." - "Th-thank you, Mr Gordon. Nice to meet you, Miss Smith." They say politely.

"Oh, it's Jay." Jay smiles at Brad. "Mr Gordon is my dad."

"And I am Nya." I add.

"Shall we join the party?" Jay suggests, offering me his arm. "What about you, guys?"

Lloyd checks his watch. "We have about 20 minutes left before my dad collects us."

"Then let's not waste any more time, you should still try some of the free food." Jay tells them and the four of us join the crowd in the foyer.

We get some sushi and other fancy fingerfood as well as some refreshments, again alcohol-free.

Lloyd and Brad appear a bit lost, so Jay and I decide to stay with them for a while. To be fair, I'm kinda grateful for their company myself. This gives me a bit more time to get used to the whole glamorous setting, before I'll have to face some of the famous and definitely more intimidating people among us.

When they need to leave, I get a brief handshake from Brad and a slightly longer hug from Lloyd, before they make their way out of the theatre.

I notice that, unlike me, they have taken the front entrance.

"So, are you ready to make some new friends?" Jay asks, taking my hand. I nod and we make our way over to his father.  
Cliff Gordon clearly is _the_ centre of attention tonight. He surrounded by a group of people, all dressed up to the nines and chatting to the movie star, I can hear them congratulating him on this latest _masterpiece_ of his.

But Jay isn't bothered by that at all.

"Excuse us, please." Clutching my hand firmly in his and a confident smile on his face, he pushes through the crowd, and they let him - well, us - through without any problem.

"Hi dad." He grins at the black-haired man in the centre, bluntly interrupting his conversation with the film's director.

"Jason." Cliff Gordon replies, hugging his son. "Glad you made it, I didn't see you before the film." I can feel my face heat up when he scrutinises me. "You must be Antonia, I have heard quite a bit about you. It's lovely to finally meet you."

Wow, here we have a superstar – and I'm talking about a famous movie star, not just some wannabe celebrity – who knows my name and ignores his son as well as his equally famous colleagues to talk to me.

"L-likewise. N-nice to m-meet you, Sir." _Calm down, Toni_. I keep telling myself.

"Please, call me Cliff, Antonia."

"Only if you call me Nya." I retort, surprised by my own bluntness. Okay, maybe that was a bit too relaxed...

"Alright then, _Nya_." He smiles at me. "Are you enjoying the evening?"

"I am, thank you. And I really liked the movie."

"I am glad to hear that. With you working at the comic book store, I take it you are familiar with the _Starfarers_ franchise?"

We exchange a few more friendly words, until Cliff gets whisked away by his manager to do a little statement for the press.

"I hope to see you again soon." He tells me.

"Thank you. I hope so too." I agree.

"Me too." Jay chimes in, wrapping his arm around my waist. As he leads me away, I catch a glimpse of the couple from during the film. They don't look too happy at all. But right now, I don't care. There's something else I am more interested in.

"Your dad is nice. But what did you tell him about me?" I enquire.

"Oh, I _may_ have mentioned you here or there..." He blushes. "He was getting suspicious that each Friday I would be home later and later from the comic book store, so I had no choice but to tell him the reason for that."

"And the reason would be?" I wink at him.

"That the _incredibly pretty but rather rude new girl_ I had complained about just a few weeks ago was actually very nice and even more beautiful."

"You said _that_ about me to your father?"

"Yeah, I did." He admits. "C'mon, you didn't have a very high opinion about me either when we met. And your friend Skylor seemed to be aware of that too..."

"Touché." I reply. "And I am glad we've both revised our opinions about each other."

"Mmh, yes." Jay mumbles in agreement before he presses his lips onto mine – right in the middle of the room.

I guess the best way to blank out the crowd staring at us is to close my eyes and just focus on the person opposite me.

So I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back.


	9. Week 9 (Part 4)

_Saturday late evening_

As Jay has predicted, we find his best friend at the dessert buffet.

Beautiful ornate chandeliers provide bright illumination to the foyer, and I finally get to take a proper look at Cole's girlfriend. Seliel is quite tall – a lot taller than me for sure – slim, and very pretty. Confidently wearing her elegant smoke grey floor-length velvet dress, she definitely looks like she belongs in this kind of setting, despite her unusual pink hair with blue highlights.

We introduce ourselves to each other again, while the guys start discussing some of the special effects. "It is really great to meet you, Nya." She gives me a genuine smile. "Your first red carpet event?"

I nod. "Is it _this_ obvious?" _Oh, great. Am I making a complete fool of myself?_

"No, Cole has just told me that you preferred to take the back entrance. Don't worry, you're doing absolutely fine." Seliel reassures me. "And I saw you talking to CG earlier, it seemed to go fairly well."

"I-I guess so." I reply. _Did it?_

"Oh, definitely. The first time Cole took me to one of his dad's concerts, I was so nervous during the aftershow party that I tripped and spilled a full glass of red wine over my dress. And over his suit."

"Cole's or his dad's?" I ask carefully.

Seliel laughs. "Both, actually." She then gently grabs my arm. "C'mon, let's get some drinks, we'll be back in a few minutes." She calls to our boyfriends, leading me away from them and over to the bar.

"I figured it would be nice to have a chat from girl to girl. And drinks are free." She explains.  
At the bar, Seliel orders a glass of red wine. After hearing her story earlier, I decide to avoid the red drink and take a glass of champagne instead. We sit down at a table in a quiet corner.

"Honestly, I couldn't believe my ears - and eyes - when Cole told me the story of how he ran into the two of you on campus last Friday. Jay had been talking quite a bit about you, but he wouldn't give us any proof that you actually exist. We had started worrying he had only made up his girlfriend so we would stop trying to set him up on dates."

"At that time, I wasn't his girlfriend." I correct her. Just not _yet_.  
"Ah, doesn't matter." She waves it off with her hand. "I was sure it would only be a matter of time then. And it looks like I was right..."

I blush.

"I've known Jay for a while now, and I can see that he really likes you a lot. He has never brought a date to one of his dad's official events." Seliel continues.

"I really like him, too." I admit. "But I am not sure if I like _this_."

"Unfortunately, this is part of who he is. But you'll get used to it. Believe me, I was in exactly the same situation when I met Cole about two years ago." This comes as a bit of a surprise. The pink-haired girl appears to be so confident and comfortable here, so hopefully she is right. "So I have to tell you that it is not easy, especially at the beginning."  
 _Ugh, great, I was just starting to feel better about the whole thing._

"And do you have any kind of advice on how to get used to it?" I ask. I know we've just started dating, and I am well aware that not every love story has a happy ending even without this extra bit of pressure, but I also know that I _want_ to make it work.

"Just relax and try not to worry too much about it. If you ever feel uncomfortable about anything or anyone, you should just tell him, like you would in any other relationship as well. And you can always talk to me and Cole, we will all be happy to help you, okay?"

"Thanks." I give her a little smile.

"No problem." She smiles back. "I just want my boyfriend's best friend to be happy. He's a great guy, even if he _may_ appear to be a cocky asshole at first."

"Tell me..." I mumble.

"Well, he's been living in the spotlight since he was born. You know, his dad was still an up and coming actor at that time, but his mother was a famous model. And then she died when he was just two years old..."

Jay has told me all these things when we were talking – and with me drinking one of the results of his failed attempts to guess my favourite coffee – at the comic book store. But he has never mentioned...

"Do you know what happened to her?" I blurt out.

"You don't?" She seems surprised. "You can easily find it online."

"I only know what Jay has told me himself. At first, I didn't like him very much...

"I've heard about that..." She smirks.

"So, I obviously didn't care about who he was. And then once we started chatting and got to know each other better, I thought it would be unfair if I knew everything about him, while he would not be able to find out anything about me. That would feel kinda like cheating, you know?"

"I understand, you have a good point." Seliel agreed. "But I guess it's okay if I tell you. Finding out stuff about you from your friends is something Jay could do as well."

 _Oh no, I should probably find out what he has talked about with Skylor earlier tonight, while Kai and I were looking for the dress..._

"She was killed in a car crash, caused by a drunk driver."

Now I understand. "So that's why..."

"Yes." Seliel nods. "That is why you will never ever find your boyfriend drink and drive, not even the smallest amount of alcohol."

"Okay, thanks for telling me."

"As I've said before, you can always come to me. But we should probably go back now, such handsome guys shouldn't be left alone for too too long."

As we walk back, she suddenly stops and grins at me.

"But I have one more piece of advice for you now. If you ever feel like looking up stuff about your boyfriend online, you should search for those commercials he did as a child. They are _very_ cute and _very_ embarrassing."

And this suggestion sounds _very_ tempting indeed. Therefore, I decide that just a little bit of cheating (in this matter _only_ , of course!) is perfectly acceptable.


	10. Week 9 (Part 5)

**As you may have noticed, I have changed the story title.**

 **'Call me Nya' was the original working title, I only didn't use it because _Loki God of Evil_ had already published a story 'Call me Jay!' (which I can highly recommend to read!). But I never liked the new title and with LGOE's permission, I have now changed it back :).**

 **This chapter finally wraps up this 'week'.**

* * *

Week 9 (Part 5)

 _Sunday very early morning_

It is already way past midnight, when Jay and I finally leave the cinema – via the front entrance.

At this time, it is not very busy around the red carpet anymore, as most journalists have either left or are inside the venue. And after sharing a kiss with my boyfriend right in the middle of the event and in front of pretty much everyone, there's no real point hiding away anyway.

In the car, I check my phone, only to find I have five missed calls, the same number of voicemails, and 37 messages. One of each are from Skylor, while the others are from some random people at school. I quickly scroll through one of the conversations.

"Is everything alright?" Jay asks, he must have noticed the small frown on my face.

"Looks like one of my classmates has already found a picture of us online." I explain. "On the _Ninjago Times_ webpage."

And I am not surprised, Gayle is nosiest and gossiping person I have ever met. I would not even consider her to be my _friend_ , how did she get my number?

"I know, the press are incredibly fast uploading pictures and little stories from these kinds of events." Jay confirms. "They have to compete with the social media, I guess..."

"And now everyone's going crazy about it." I am dreading having to go to school on Monday morning. This is definitely not how I have imagined making it into one Ninjago's biggest newspapers...

His eyes fixed at the road, Jay puts one of his hands on mine.

"I am sorry, I probably shouldn't have kissed you with all those photographers around." I can see a light blush on his cheeks.

"It's not your fault." I reassure him. "It was my own decision to kiss you back. At least it shows that I have better things to do on a Saturday night than searching the internet for the latest gossip..."

"Much better." He flashes me a brief smile. And I agree.

When we arrive back at my house, Jay parks the car and gets out to open the passenger door for me. He then takes my hand as he walks me to the door.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, Nya. I am glad you decided to come."

"So am I. I had a really great time." I reply. "Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome. Uhm, so... I'll see you on Monday?"

Lucky him, Jay's classes have already finished and he is at home for the summer. But I have only one more week of school until my graduation, so I can't really complain. And then there's still my job at the comic book store, of course.

"Same place, just a different day." I grin. "Your book will still be waiting for you." _As will I._

"Can't wait to see it." He smirks. "Good night, Nya."

"Good night, Jay." I reply.

"Uhm, I am just wondering... I mean, this was our first official date. Would it be inappropriate to kiss you goodnight?"

I giggle. "Considering we have kissed after our _unofficial_ dates and even during our first official date, it would be very inappropriate _not_ to kiss me goodnight."

And so he does.

I honestly have no idea what exactly has happened afterwards, but at some point, I find myself pinned against the wall. There's a tiny sting in my back, but I can't really pay attention to that right now, as Jay kissing along my neck is rather distracting. He is running his hands up and down my side, while mine have somehow found their way _under_ his shirt.

Unfortunately, this is the exact moment that the door flies open and I can hear the very annoyed voice of my brother.

"Are you _finally_ done out here?" He whisper-yells, obviously not wanting to wake our neighbours.

We hastily break apart. With great interest, Kai watches our rather futile attempts to fix our clothes and hair. The deep red faces are probably not helping with our appearance either.

"Kai, I am eighteen." I try to defend myself. _The same age as your own girlfriend, whose red hair I can see through the window of our house._ I add in my mind. But I don't dare to say it out loud, I'd better not make him even more upset with me.

But to our big surprise, Kai bursts out laughing.

"I know that, sis, but Sky and I would very much appreciate if you could please stop making out against the doorbell in the middle of the night."

Okay, that explains the stinging feeling in my back. And why my brother is not too happy with us right now.

"Now that we've got that sorted, do you wanna come in?" He offers.

"Uhm, I'd better go home now." My boyfriend mumbles. He places a short, chaste kiss on my burning cheek. "See you on Monday."

"Okay, I'll see you then." I give him a little smile. "Take care, okay?"

"I will." Jay smiles back before he turns around and walks to his car. I wait until he has driven away before I get inside, closing the door behind me.

I find Kai and Skylor snuggled up on the sofa in the living room. My best friend is leaning against my brother, her head resting on his shoulder, and he has his arm wrapped around her.

Seeing them like this, I'm a bit disappointed that Jay hasn't accepted Kai's offer. But I am pretty sure, had I been in his position, I would have done the same.

Hearing me enter the room, they look up.

"So, I've heard you had a good evening, Toni?" Skylor asks, a wide grin on her face. She is spending way too much time with my brother, he is totally rubbing up on her.

"I did, thank you very much." I reply, plopping down in the armchair and stretching out my legs. "And until about two minutes ago, I've enjoyed every single moment of it."


	11. Week 10 - Monday

Week 10

 _Monday afternoon_

When I arrive at the comic book store, a few minutes early for my shift, I find Jay already sitting in the reading area, he is engaged in a rather heated discussion with Rufus and Lloyd. I assume it is about the new _Starfarers_ movie. While the owner of _Doomsday Comix_ also attended the movie première on Saturday, Jay didn't have any opportunity to talk to him. Whereas my boyfriend and I arrived late (which admittedly was my fault), Rufus left the venue directly after the film.

It looks like they are having a good bit of catching up to do right now.

Instead of the usual coffee paper cups, I see three vacuum flasks on the table, two bigger and one smaller, as well as a couple of mugs. Jay and Lloyd are very obviously enjoying their hot chocolate, and Rufus is drinking delicious smelling black coffee.

I still have some time before I have to start working so, after dropping off my bag in the staff room, I can briefly join the three guys, while ignoring the glare I receive from Chamille - who will not be able to finish early today.

As I sit down next to him on the sofa, Jay wraps his arm around my waist and greets me with a brief and very chocolaty kiss on the lips.

"Hi Nya." He says. "How are you? How was your day at school?"

"It was... _okay_." I reply. It would have been a lot better, had me and my not-so-secret-anymore relationship with Cliff Gordon's son not been the talk of the day. "How was your day _not_ at college?"

"Great." He flashes me a smile. "I spent the whole morning helping Ed and Edna fix some small things around the house."

That's not exactly _my_ idea of the perfect day off, but I know that he enjoys spending time with the elderly housekeeper couple, who have helped raise the boy after his mother's untimely death.

"Would you like some coffee?" Jay asks, handing me a mug. "Edna has made it for you, we have a super fancy coffee maker at home. I can't judge it, but it's supposed to be the best coffee in all of Ninjago." Rufus vigorously nods his head in agreement. "And there's some milk in the small flask."

"Thanks." I gratefully accept the offered items. "Wow, it _is_ very good. But I really didn't want to interrupt your conversation."

"Ahm, don't worry." Rufus stands up and checks his watch. "I was going to leave soon anyway." He turns to Jay. "It was great seeing you. Thanks again for the ticket, please tell your dad his new movie is amazing."

"I will, thanks."

"Antonia, we should get a delivery of some new books later this afternoon. They need to be unpacked and put on display, please." My boss then tells me. "Don't let those two distract you too much."

I blush. "I will try my best."

At three o'clock sharp, I take my place at the service counter. Turns out Rufus didn't have anything to worry about. It is a rather busy day at the shop - which is, of course, good for his business - so I don't get any chance to get distracted until much later.

I sigh in relief, after a large group of teenage boys has finally left the store, having asked quite a lot of questions (including one regarding my phone number) and having spent hardly any money. I pick up the comic books they have left all over the store and start putting them back in their right places.

"Excuse me, Miss?" An all too familiar voice suddenly asks from behind me. "I could use some help, please."

When I turn around, I find myself facing my boyfriend, who is wearing a cheeky grin on his face. At this moment no other customers appear to be in need of assistance, so I can play along.

"Good afternoon, Sir." I smile back. "What is it that I can do for you?"

"I am looking for the latest edition of the _Starfarers_ comics." He says.

"Oh, I am very sorry, Sir." I tell him, realising that we are somehow re-enacting our very first meeting here, just in a more polite - and way more flirtatious - way. "That one is out of stock. You know, it gets released on Thursdays, and it usually sells out on the first day. Can I interest you in something else?"

"Oh, I can definitely see something that has caught my interest." He smirks. "But are you _sure_ you don't have any copies left?"

"I _might_ have one hidden under the counter." I explain, stepping closer. "But that one is reserved for a very special person."

"I _am_ a very special person." He insists, placing his hands on my waist. "The name is Gordon, by the way. Jason Gordon."

"You will have to convince me of that, Mr Gordon." I lean in and wrap my arms around his neck.

"That should be no problem, Miss..." Our lips are just millimeters apart so I can feel his breath as he speaks.

"Smith." I whisper. "It's Nya Smith."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Smith." He replies, before pressing his lips onto mine.

But just as this about to turn into a deeper kiss, a loud gagging sound interrupts us. Jay and I immediately break apart and start looking for the source. And it does not take long to find it.

Lloyd is standing behind Jay, grimacing at us. "Ugh, that is disgusting." He exclaims.

I am sure the colour of my face matches that of Jay's - a _very_ deep shade of red.

"Sorry, buddy." Jay apologised. "But one day, you'll do the same."

"Never!" The young boy retorts.

"Uhm, I better get back to work." I mumble. "And I think you were _very_ convincing." I get Jay's comic book from the counter and hand it to him. "Here, you've earned it."

"Thanks, but I think I owe you some change." Under Lloyd's critical look, he places a chaste kiss on my burning cheek. "I actually have to get home for dinner now. What about a date? Like... tomorrow afternoon?"

I am not working on Tuesdays but unfortunately, I already have some plans for the next day.

"I have to go to the mall with Skylor." I tell him. "I need to buy a dress for my graduation. Don't want a repetition of what happened last Saturday..."

After my little breakdown at our house, my best friend won't stop reminding me of how _stupid_ and _embarrassing_ it was to a) freak out over not having the right outfit for the event, and b) not have the right outfit for the event in the first place.

"You were the most beautiful person at the party." Jay reassures me.

"Thanks." I honestly thought that my blush could not get any deeper, looks like I was wrong. "But I can't wear the same dress again, everyone's seen the pictures of us..."

"Can you still cancel with your friend?" Jay asks. "I have an idea how we can do both at the same time. I'll pick you up from school." He winks at me, before he walks back to the reading area.

Now he has definitely managed to distract me from my work. I absentmindedly continue tidying up, while I glimpse at Jay collecting his stuff and saying goodbye to Lloyd.

 _Has my boyfriend seriously offered to go dress shopping with me?_ I wonder, both excited and nervous about what is going to happen tomorrow.


	12. Week 10 - Tuesday

_Tuesday afternoon_

Unlike my best friend, I am a student who generally enjoys school.

Today, however, I cannot wait for classes to finish - not that we would learn much of importance during our final week anyway.

For the first time in my High School career, I even have my bag packed before the end of the final period. And the very moment I can hear the school bell start ringing, I jump up from my seat and sprint out of the classroom.

As I am just closing my locker, Skylor finally manages to catch up with me.

"Have fun." She smirks, opening her own locker, which is right next to mine.

"Oh, I will." I reply, trying to sound more confident than I actually am. I am starting to feel a bit nervous now. What has my boyfriend planned for us for this afternoon?

As I walk out the school building, I already spot Jay waiting for me at the gate. Casually leaning against the wall, he'd be hard to miss. Today is a sunny day, and he is wearing a pair of navy shorts and a light blue polo shirt. His sunglasses are pushed up into his auburn hair, glistening in the early afternoon sun.

I accelerate my steps, waving at him. He waves back, flashing me his usual bright smile.

When I reach him, he places his hands on my waist and pulls me towards him.

"You look lovely." He whispers, before he connects our lips in a soft kiss. I am dressed in a knee-length black summer skirt and a simple red top.

"Thanks, you look great too." I say when we break apart. "Ugh, people are staring at us..."

"You wanna give them something to stare at?" He winks at me. Before I can object, he pulls me into another – and this time deeper and longer – kiss. My eyes are closed but I am sure that, if they weren't before, everyone's definitely looking at us now.

Our hands entwined, we walk to his car, which is parked just around the corner, the roof open. As soon as I get in, I take the lightning bolt cap from the glove department and place it on my head.

"Works perfectly with every outfit." Jay remarks as he starts the engine.

Speaking of my outfit... "So, where are you taking me?" I enquire, noticing that we are heading out of Ignacia. Maybe we are going to Ninjago City?

I am kinda worried that Jason Gordon's choice of a clothing store or even a fancy boutique may be more than just slightly above my budget. I really don't want to spend all of my hard-earned money on a dress, but I am definitely _not_ going to let my boyfriend pay for it, even if he could easily afford it.

"You'll see." He replies coolly. But he must have noticed my anxiety, for he places one hand on mine, which are folded on my lap, and gives me a reassuring smile. "I am sure you will like it."

After driving through a rather posh residential area, Jay turns into a massive driveway and parks the car in a car park just below a luxurious villa. This does not look like a shopping centre at all.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He tells me.

"Your...?" I gasp. I was not expecting that. And I wasn't even remotely prepared for it.

"Well, technically it belongs to my dad." He explains. "But that wouldn't sound as good, would it?"

Despite my nervousness, I can't help but laugh at his remark. "How come you always find a way to me laugh?"

"Because I like seeing you happy." He says. "And if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to make it happen."

"You're so cheesy sometimes." I say, trying to sound serious (and failing miserably at it). "But it always works." I add with a smile.

We get out the car and walk up a little cobblestone path. Standing in front of it, the house looks even more impressive than from down below.

Jay enters a code into a pin pad before he unlocks the door and holds it open for me to enter. "After you, Miss Smith." He bows.

"Thank you, Mr Gordon." I step inside and curiously look around.

Right in front of me, a white marble staircase leads up to the first floor. On either side of it, doors lead to rooms on the ground floor.

And through one of those doors on our left, an elderly, friendly looking woman with brown hair in a slightly messy bun comes rushing into the main hall.

"Ed, the boy is home." She shouts, wiping her hands on her apron. "And he has brought Nya."

"Coming, my sugarplum." A male voice calls back from somewhere in the house. And soon, a grey-haired man in an oil-stained overall appears through one of the other doors.

These two must be the housekeeper couple Jay has told me about.

"H-hey, Jay." Mr Walker (as I assume) greets my boyfriend. "Good afternoon, Miss Nya."

"Hey, Ed." Jay smiles at him. He then gives the woman a quick hug. "Hello Edna."

"Nya, these are Edna and Ed Walker, they take good care of our house – and they have always taken very good care of me." He confirms my assumption. "And this beautiful, smart young lady," Jay puts his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, "is Antonia Smith, my girlfriend."

"It is very nice to meet you, Mrs Walker." I say politely. "And Mr Walker."

"Oh, please call us Ed and Edna, Nya. We may call you Nya, right?" I nod. "We are sooo happy to meet you, aren't we Ed?"

Ed Walker nods in agreement. "We are indeed, sweetheart."

"We have heard so much about you." His wife continues. "Awww, you're even prettier than those pictures that Jay has shown us."

As she keeps talking, I can feel my cheeks heating up. My face must be the deepest shade of red ever and I seriously doubt that I look pretty at all right now.

"The pleasure is all mine, Edna." I finally get to say. "Jay has spoken very fondly of you."

"Awww, has he?" Edna squeals. "That's my little boy. Let me tell you this, Nya. He is a keeper, just like my dear Ed."

When I look at my boyfriend, I notice that the colour on Jay's face now matches mine.

"Jay, your father has called. The interviews should finish early today and he is going to be home in time for dinner, so I've only prepared a snack in the kitchen for you for lunch." The housekeeper informs us. "I hope this is fine with you. I didn't want to spoil your appetite for dinner, but you kids are still growing and need to have your regular meals. And especially your vitamins."

"Thanks, Edna. That's perfect." We reassure her.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you earlier where we were going." Jay apologises as we are sitting opposite each other at the high kitchen counter, enjoying some freshly prepared sandwiches and a bowl of homemade pumpkin and ginger soup. "I was worried you wouldn't come if I did."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I agree. "Mmh, this soup is amazing."

"Edna will be ecstatic to hear that, she really wanted to meet you."

"They are lovely." I state, taking a bit from my cucumber sandwich.

"The Walkers or the sandwiches?"

"Both." I laugh. "But that still doesn't solve the problem with my prom dress."

"Oh, I think it does." He smirks.

"Now you're being secretive _again_." I whine.

"You don't like surprises, do you?"

"Not too much." I admit. "I am not the most patient person, I guess." A trait I share with my brother.

"I assure you, you don't have to wait for too much longer."

After we have finished our lunch with a cup of Edna's amazing coffee respectively hot chocolate, Jay takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. On the first floor, we turn right, and follow a long corridor with several doors on either side, not too dissimilar to a smaller hotel. _Who needs that many rooms for just two people_? I ask myself.

"Guest rooms, we don't really use them that much." Jay explains, he must have guessed my thoughts. He points to the door at the very end of the corridor. "That one is my dad's bedroom. This one is my room." He refers to a blue door we have just passed by, before we stop in front on yet another door. "And this here was my mother's dressing room." He informs me, pushing down the handle. "My dad insisted on keeping it exactly the way if was when... you know..." A sombre expression appears on his usually cheerful face. "I don't even remember her, I was still too young when it happened." He sighs. "Is it bad of me that Edna feels more of a mum to me than my actual mother?"

I swallow hard hearing his words. Although Kai and I have lost even _both_ of our parents, we still have our memories of them – and we have each other.

From what Jay has told me, he and his father haven't had the best relationship until very recently. While Cliff Gordon seems to very much love his son (and _vice versa_ ), the busy actor just hasn't always been there for him.

I take my boyfriend's hands into mine and look into his deep blue eyes. "I think your mother would be very happy to know that you've had wonderful, loving people who took care of you for her." I try to comfort him.

"Thanks, Nya." He gives me a little smile. "Now, you are the one who makes me feel better."

"I like seeing you happy too, you know?" I smile back.

"I will try my best then." He grins. "Anyway, there's a whole wardrobe full of designer evening dresses." He tells me. "Why waste your hard-earned money on something you don't like and you're not gonna use much?"

"And what about your father, is he okay with this?"

"Legally, everything that my mother owned now belongs to me. But I have still checked with my dad, of course. He was a bit surprised about my request, but he said it's fine." He reassures me. "Those dresses weren't made to be just kept in a wardrobe forever, without anyone wearing or even looking at them. There are a few pieces he still wants to keep, but you probably wouldn't pick a wedding dress for your graduation anyway. Although that could be very interesting..."

I vigorously shake my head. I have no intention of wearing that kind of dress _anytime_ in the near future. But I am definitely interested in having a look at the other dresses in that wardrobe.

As we work our way through this huge selection of fancy eveningwear pieces, I can't help but wonder if he has done the same for any previous girlfriend.

"Do you like blue?" Jay's voice suddenly snaps me out of my thoughts.

"It's my favourite colour." I reply.

"What about this one, then?"

My jaw drops when I look at the stunning dress he is holding up.

I don't _like_ dresses, but I _love_ this one. And this is exactly what I answer.

It is a long, strapless dress entirely made from light blue silk. The strapless silk bodice has straight crystal embellished neckline. The slim A-line skirt is made from layered semi-sheer silk of the same colour, it appears to be flowing like waves in the ocean.

Jay leaves the room so I can try it on, through the closed door I can hear him walk away, along the corridor. I don't want to ask for help, so I struggle a little bit to close the zipper but eventually manage.

The dress feels as amazing as it looks. The cool silk is surprisingly soft on my skin and, despite the number of layers, the skirt is very light and flowing around my legs.

But to my disappointment, it doesn't fit me very well.

"Jay?" I call, hearing footsteps approach the door again.

"Yes. Can we come in?" Jay asks back and when I confirm, he and Edna Walker enter the dressing room.

"Awww, how beautiful." Edna coos, before I get to say anything. "I still remember when the late Mrs Gordon – well, at that time she wasn't Mrs Gordon just _yet_ – wore this one. She was sparkling like the brightest star in the sky."

And apparently, she was taller and bustier than me – not much of a surprise, considering she was a famous top model.

"The dress is a bit too long for me." I can't hide the disappointment in my voice. "And too wide up here. Thanks for the idea, but I don't think _any_ of these dresses will fit me."

"And that's exactly where I come in." Edna takes box of pins from the pocket on her apron. "If you like the dress, then we are going to make it fit."

"Are you sure about that?" I give my boyfriend a questioning look. "I mean, are you really fine with altering your mother's dress?"

"This dress has spent over 17 years just hanging around in the closet." Jay reassures me. Wow, that means that I _am_ the first girlfriend of his who gets to wear one of these outfits.

"And I am sure my mother would also approve of this." He adds.

"Oh, absolutely." Edna confirms. "If only she could see the two of you, she would be so proud of the young man her little boy has become. As am I."

"O-okay then." I agree. "Thank you."

"Do you have any shoes to go with it?" Mrs Walker asks.

"These are the matching one, but they might also be too big." Jay hands me a pair of silver low heel sandals. Guessing from the old photos hanging around the house, Mrs Gordon was slightly taller than her husband, so she would generally wear rather flat shoes.

"No, they are perfect." I tell them. "And very comfortable."

Jay looks down at my rather big feet. "It's no surprise then that you are such a great swimmer." He jokes.

After Edna has finished measuring and marking the positions for the alterations, she helps me take off the dress without losing any needles. And it saves me another fight with the zipper.

As I slip back into my regular clothes, she carefully folds the dress to carry it downstairs. "I will get started straight away, it will be ready by Thursday." She promises.

"Thank you, Edna." I smile.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me, I am happy to help." She smiles back. "Jason is like a son to me, and you two make such an adorable couple."

She opens the door and steps outside. "All clear." She tells Jay who is waiting outside the room.

He walks over to me, his blue eyes lock with mine. "You should wear blue more often." He says. "The colour really suits you."

Before I can respond, he presses his lips onto mine. But when he tries to deepen the kiss, I refuse and pull away.

"Sorry." I mumble. "It's just... this was your mother's room and..." well, I just wouldn't be comfortable making out in here.

"Yeah, I get that." Jay sheepishly rubs his neck. "I usually avoid coming in here myself. And you are only the second person I have ever shown this room. When we were younger, Cole and I used to play hide-and-seek all over the house. And that was probably the last time that I looked inside this wardrobe before today." He smirks. "But now that we've got the dress problem sorted, what about I show you my _favourite_ room of the house?"

I nod. Jay leads me back downstairs to the main hall and opens one of the doors.

I am expecting some kind of high tech game room behind it, but to my surprise the door only hide a small spiral staircase leading down to the basement.

While it is a lot simpler than the upper floors, this is the cleanest and tidiest basement I have ever seen. I can see some well-organised storage compartments on both sides. "There is also a temperature controlled wine cellar that can be accessed directly from the kitchen." Jay informs me. "And this here is the workshop." He opens a wooden door.

We enter a spacious but plain room. Most of the space is taken up by a huge workbench. All four walls of the room are covered with shelves, packed with tools and, what I assume are, Jay's creations.

"This ' _car_ ' was one of the first things I've made." Jay says, seeing me scrutinise a blue painted wooden block with four wheels drawn on the sides. "I was about five when Ed showed me how to use a saw. We cut a wooden bar into pieces and I decided to turn them into these vehicles. There's a bus somewhere as well." He points at a longer, yellow painted block with wheels and windows on the side.

"But this one here is my latest project." Jay announces proudly. "It was for one of our classes at university."

A square wooden board with a couple of wires and switches is sitting on the workbench. I raise an eyebrow. "It looks like an ordinary electric circuit to be." I can't see anything special about it. To be honest, the bus was more interesting than this.

"Yes and no." Jay laughs at my expression. "It is a simple electric circuit, but it is not just an _ordinary_ circuit. Before coming up with this, I have spent weeks trying many different conducting materials and ways to combine and connect them before I came up with this solution. If you measure the input and output, there is hardly any loss of energy. Although I've only used reasonably cheap standard materials, the efficiency is almost as good as that of the supra conductors currently in use."

Okay, now I _am_ impressed.

"I want to keep working on this project in the next term." Jay continues. "There is still a lot of room for improvement in the way I've merged the metals I think."

I take a closer look at the wires and I have to agree. I am not a blacksmith's daughter and sister for nothing. "You should talk to my brother about that." I suggest. "He might be able to help you."

"That's a great idea. Thanks Nya." He beams at me. "I hope we can work together when you start college in autumn."

That sounds like a wonderful idea.

Just at that moment, a knock on the closed door interrupts our conversation.

"Jason?" Cliff Gordon's voice calls. "Edna said that you might be down here. And that you have a _guest_."

"We are in here, dad." Jay shouts back. "Please come in."

His father slowly opens the door. "I am very sorry to _interrupt_ you, but dinner will be served in a few minutes..."

"It's fine, dad." Jay tells him. "We were just discussing my project from college."

"Oh, okay." As he visibly relaxes, I blush. _What was he thinking we were doing down here?_

These past few days have been very interesting, to say the least.

After getting caught making out by my brother and getting interrupted _almost_ making out by Lloyd, now my boyfriend's movie star father has caught us _not_ making out.

I am seriously wondering what is going to happen next.


	13. Week 10 - Saturday (Part 1)

_Saturday evening_

"Would you like to dance?" Jay asks.

We are sitting at the small table we are sharing with my brother and my best friend, but those two have disappeared quite a while ago already, to ' _quickly get us something to drink from the bar_ '.

"Sure." I smile at him. "I don't think Kai and Sky will be back anytime soon. And even if they were, I don't think they'd mind us not being around."

My brother and his girlfriend have ignored us for most of the evening so far anyway.

Jay stands up and takes off his jacket. He is wearing a similar suit – or maybe even the same one – to the one last week. Of course, it is perfectly fine for guys to have the same outfit over and over again, maybe only varying the shirt or the tie. On the other hand, us women are expected to get a new dress every time.

Although I don't mind the one I am currently wearing.

Edna has done a marvellous job with 'my' dress, it fits absolutely perfectly. And she has even turned the leftover fabric into the matching bow tie Jay is wearing right now.

Because I was working on Wednesday, I went to the Gordons' place for another fitting (and to spend a very nice afternoon with my boyfriend) on Thursday. And Jay brought me the final dress this evening.

Because we don't live far from the school, Skylor and Jay both came to Kai and I's house earlier tonight for a small dinner, before Sky and I helped get each other ready and the four of us then walked the short way to the Graduation Party together.

When we arrive at the dance floor, I am not surprised to find our missing tablemates already there. During the slow dance, they are holding each other _very_ tight, and Sky is resting her head on Kai's shoulders, her long red hair flowing along his back. Both of them have their eyes closed and are wearing a serene smile on their faces.

They are very cute to watch. I would have never expected my short-tempered, hot-headed brother to fall so madly in love with someone, but I am happy for him. And even more so because it is with my best friend.

Jay places his hands on my waist and pulls me closer. I happily oblige and wrap my arms around him, resting my head against his chest – I am too short to imitate the other couple's position.

"Mmh, you smell nice." I mumble into his chest, inhaling his warm scent of milk and honey.

"Me or the shirt?" Jay laughs, making me blush in embarrassment.

"You were not supposed to hear that." I say, pulling away. "But next time I'll be over, I'm going to ask Edna about her laundry detergent."

"Only if you tell me your shampoo." Jay plays with a loose strand of my short, black hair. Skylor had insisted on curling it. "It smells of coconut."

"And do you like coconut?" I enquire.

"I do." He replies, pressing his lips onto mine.

"This is a dance floor, not a chat room." My brother's voice – of course, who else could it be?! – interrupts us once again.

"Watching the two of you, it looks more like you should get your own private room..." I retort, more than just slightly.

"Sis..." – "Toni..." Kai and Skylor gasp simultaneously.

But before this discussion can continue, Jay interrupts us. "You want to show them how dancing is done properly?" He winks at me.

"I'm in your hands." I say.

"Wow, where did you learn to dance like this?" I want to know, when we are catching a break from dancing and are _finally_ getting our long-promised drinks. Even if we have to get them from the bar ourselves.

"Ed and Edna showed me." He explains, taking a sip from his coke. "You'd be amazed if you saw _them_ dance."

"Awww, that's so cute." I state, picturing the lovely elderly couple together. "And they did a great job teaching you."

Whereas I am slightly out of breath and definitely glad that I went with the low-heels, Jay doesn't look exhausted at all. He smiles fondly.

"Yes, they did. Admit it, you were expecting some fancy dance classes for spoiled rich kids." He smirks.

"I was." I admit. "But you never cease to surprise me, Mr _Spoiled Rich Kid_."

I put my glass on the table next to us and wrap my arms around his neck. But unfortunately, being a _spoiled rich kid_ and son of a famous movie star, Jay has attracted quite a bit of attention tonight. And not only of the good kind.

"Jay Gordon. It is a pleasure to meet you." I groan inwardly when I hear the voice of one of my least favourite classmates chirp into my ear, just as I am about to kiss said person.

We pull away and indeed, there she is.

Tosca – another _spoiled rich child_ , tall, slim, pretty well endowed, with long platinum blonde hair (is is definitely bleached as it looks slightly green-ish in this light) and green eyes – is grinning at us with her perfect teeth. But her admittedly very beautiful appearance does not match her personality. Due to her poisonous attitude, Sky and I secretly call her Tox.

Outright ignoring me, Tox focuses exclusively on my boyfriend. "I am Tosca."

"Nice to meet you, Tosca. I am _Jason_." He replies politely, using his full name. "Are you a friend of Nya's?"

" _Nya_?" She looks confused for a moment, before her gaze finally falls onto me. "Oh, of course I am."

 _Since when?_ I wonder. I have never been one of the really popular girls and I've never cared too much about them either. I've got a small group of close friends, including the same best friend since kindergarten. And I wish she would be here right now to support me. But she isn't.

"We've been classmates since seventh grade." Tox states.

"Eighth." I correct her.

"Ah, one year more or less." She brushes it off. "But it feels like we've known each other forever, right?"

I can't help but nod in agreement. _Definitely too long._ I think _._

"Well, that's really great for you." Jay says less than enthusiastically, putting his arm around my shoulder. " _We_ have only met recently, so unfortunately, Nya hasn't gotten around to mention you as yet."

"Well, why don't we sit down and I tell you a bit myself?" She runs her hand along his free arm.

That's it. I have kept up with her attitude for the last five years, but after tonight I won't have to see her ever again anyway.

"Would you mind stop touching _my boyfriend_?" I hiss.

"Well, your boyfriend doesn't seem to mind me touching him."

"I don't want to appear rude, but I prefer to choose for myself who I like to touch me. And I'm afraid that is indeed reserved for the most beautiful girl in this room, who happens to be my girlfriend. So would you please excuse us now." Jay tells her and I can briefly see Tox's pretty face fall, just before pulls me into a deep kiss right in front of her.

And this time, we don't let _anyone_ interrupt us.

When we eventually break apart, Tox is nowhere to be seen.

My best friend, however, is standing right behind Jay; over his shoulder I see her grinning widely and giving me two thumbs-up.

I immediately feel my face heat up and quickly bury it in Jay's chest.

But Skylor just comes over and gives me a pat on the back.

"Nice show. Maybe _you_ should get a private room..." She smirks and walks away.

"Why did you do that?" I ask Jay.

"What?" He shrugs. "I had the impression that like me kissing you."

"Of course I do." I say. "I meant what you said to Tox- I mean Tosca."

He puts his hand under my chin and tilts my head up until our eyes meet. "I was merely telling the truth." He says. "You are way more beautiful than her, or anyone else here. Did I ever tell you that blue suits you?"

"Thank you." I smile. "You're looking not too bad yourself. I especially like the bow tie."

We take our drinks and make our way to our table. Kai and Skylor are also back, and guessing from the look on his face, my brother has also watched our little display of affection. But he doesn't say anything. At least not directly.

He turns to Jay. "Are you enjoying the night so far?" He asks.

I mentally face palm but Jay remains surprisingly cool.

"I am. Definitely much better company than at my own graduation." He takes my hand. "I was third-wheeling with my best friend and his girlfriend. Wouldn't recommend it."

"Oh, I know what that feels like." I giggle. "I've done that more than enough times with my best friend and her boyfriend."

We keep chatting, until Sky and I excuse ourselves to go to the bathroom.

"Hurry up. We've got the two most handsome guys waiting for us out there." Skylor urges me, as I check my reflection in the mirror and re-apply my red lipstick.

"Yeah, don't want to leave them alone for too long." I agree. "I still can't believe that bitch Tox was hitting on Jay earlier? Did you see her? And right in front of me?"

"Ah, forget about her." Sky tries to calm me down. "She was just furious that you got to go to that movie première, meet all those famous actors, and even had your picture in the papers. But I wouldn't worry, _everyone_ has seen how Jay has blown her off. He must like you a lot."

"I hope so." I blush. "I really like him too." Maybe even more than that.

When we return to our table, we are still relieved to find our boyfriends alone.

Kai and Sky immediately go back to dancing, but Jay shows no interest in hitting the dance floor.

"Shall we join them?" I suggest.

"No, thanks." Jay replies coldly. "I think I am going to head home now."

He stands up and puts his jacket on.

"Is everything alright?" I ask. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Can we talk outside?" He says.

Trying to keep up with his pace, I am starting to get really worried. After what he did earlier right in front of everyone, what can be so bad that he now wants to talk in private?

"Jay?" I say, trying to take his hand, but he moves it away.

"While you and Skylor were away, I was looking through your yearbook." He finally says when we are outside, just at the gate where he was waiting for me a couple of days ago.

Oh, the stupid yearbook. Gayle has put copies on every table. She wants us to sign them, in case somebody from our class will get famous. There's even a little picture and questionnaire about everyone from our class, just like in those friendship books we used to have in primary school. But I can't recall anything – photos or comments – that could have upset him.

"And?" I want to know.

" _My name is: Antonia Smith._ " He cites. " _My friends call me: Toni_."

He looks me in the eyes as asks: "What does that make us, _Nya_?"

I begin to understand. "You are upset about my nickname?"

He nods. "You've _never_ told me about it."

"Oh, c'mon. You've heard Sky use it so many times."

"Yes, I have heard your _best friend_ and also your _brother_ call you Toni, but this here... is your whole school. Probably everyone calls you that, except for me."

I can't deny that he is right, therefore I don't say anything.

"Where does this leave _us_ , Antonia? What am _I_ to you?" He wants to know.

"You are my boyfriend." I tell him. What kind of question is this?

"But all those weeks that we were just hanging out together at the comic book store, you never came to think of me as your friend?"

"Of course, I did." I state. "Jay, I..."

"You see? I told you _my_ nickname straight away when we met, even though we didn't like each other too much back then. And at some point you changed from calling me Jason to Jay, and it made me happy when you did."

"I noticed that." I agree.

"But still, you've never asked me to call you Toni?"

"Well, you had already started calling me Nya, and by then Lloyd had joined in as well."

"Don't blame it on the kid. Although I bet that he knew both names and he chose to use Nya instead of Toni."

"He did." I admit. "And sure, I was annoyed by it at first, but then I got used to it and..."

"Hold on, Antonia." Jay interrupts me. "I am sorry, but... you shouldn't be with someone you _got used to_. You deserve better than that, and so do I."

I can see tears glistening in his eyes now. "You know, I've never felt this strong for anyone ever before, I thought you were special, Nya." He shrugs. "I guess I was wrong." He turns away from me. "Goodbye, Antonia."

"Jay, wait." I call after him. "I didn't mean it _that_ way... I-I..."

He stops and turns his head to look at me. "You can keep the dress if you want." He says. "It was a present, and it suits you. Blue really _is_ your colour."

And with this, he walks away, leaving me on my own in this warm summer night.


	14. Week 10 - Saturday (Part 2)

**This is the final chapter of this story - which was or** **iginally supposed to be to be a one-shot XD.**

 **(In case you are confused about this chapter, I have posted the last 5 parts, so everything from Ch 10 onwards, at the same time.)**

* * *

Week 10 / Saturday (Part 2)

 _Saturday late night (or maybe Sunday early morning)_

Unable to move, I watch my (ex-)boyfriend walk away, tears running down my face.

Only when his shape has disappeared into the dark, I snap out of my trance. And I know exactly what I need to do now.

My vision is slightly blurred, as I run back into the gym and to our table. I open the yearbook and take the black marker that is right next to it on the table. I scribble a few words onto my profile page and tear it out. I hope that Gayle will forgive me for ruining her 'Book of Fame', but honestly, I don't care if she doesn't.

I fold the page. Keeping it in my hand, I grab my purse from the chair and run to the dance floor to find Skylor and Kai. When my best friend sees me in my distressed state, she pulls away from my brother and gives me a concerned look.

"Toni, what happened?" She asks gently. "Where is Jay?" Her expression suddenly turns angry. "Did he try anything..."

"No, he didn't." I vigorously shake my head. " _I-I_ messed up. Big time. But I'm gonna fix it." I try to sound more optimistic than I actually am. "Gotta go now and catch him, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie." She gives me a quick hug. "Call me if you need me."

"I will." I shout, already on my way out.

Jay has parked his car at our house, I hope that this is where he went. And I also hope that I will make it there in time before he leaves, possibly forever.

I am not the fastest runner, especially not in these kind of shoes, but I am trying my best.

About halfway, I spot a lone person sitting on a bench at a bus stop. They are wearing a dark suit, the shoulders slumped forward and their face buried in their hands.

My heart skips a beat, when I recognise the familiar shade of auburn hair.

"Jay?" I ask carefully.

He slowly lifts his head. He looks as miserable as I feel. "What do you want, _Antonia_?" He asks, averting my gaze.

I wordlessly hand him the sheet of paper. He unfolds it. As he reads my message, I can see the tiniest smile appear on his handsome face.

He silently scoots over so I can sit down beside him.

"Do you mean it?" He asks, pointing at the message.

"I do." I reply, my eyes fixed on the page that now says: ' _My name is: Antonia Smith. My good friends and even all those idiots I don't care about call me: Toni. The person I love calls me: Nya. And I like the name_.'

"I really like Nya." I add. "And I like it when you to call me that."

"And the other bit?" He finally looks me in the eyes.

I swallow but hold his gaze. "Yes."

"And... you were not referring to Lloyd, right?"

"No, silly." I giggle. "I love you, Jason Gordon."

"Call me Jay." He smiles at me.

"Call me Nya." I smile back.

"I love you too, Nya." He puts his arms around me and pulls me in a tight embrace. Snuggling into his chest, I wrap my arms around his back and take in his comforting scent of milk and honey (although after all this dancing and running, it is _slightly_ less fresh than it was earlier this evening). I have no idea for how long we remain in this position, but I know that I could stay like this forever.

But, as always, someone has other plans for us. Or in this case, it is some _thing_ that does.

The first three times, I can ignore the ringing of the phone in my purse. But when it starts yet again, I pull away and smile sheepishly at my (hopefully former ex-) boyfriend. "Sorry." I apologise, opening my purse. "It's probably Skylor. And she's probably worried."

And she is. "Toni. What was that?" I hear her concerned voice. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." I say.

"We are all leaving now." Sky explains. "Kai and I were going to my place, but if you need me..."

"No, it's okay. I am fine." I tell her. " _We_ are fine." At least I think we are.

"We?" I can hear her raise an eyebrow. "So, Jay is with you? Lemme talk to him." She insists.

"Okay." I hand him the phone. "Sky wants to talk to you."

"Hello? Skylor?" Jay answers. I wish I could hear what she is saying to him.

"Yes, we are here at... uhm, some bus stop." He blushes.

"Yes, we are fine." He says, and I release the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"No, I won't." He smiles. "I promise."

"Okay, bye. Do you still want to..." He removes the phone from his ear and looks at the display. "She just hung up." He states.

"Yeah, that's so Skylor." I laugh.

"No idea why I was scared of your brother." Jay sighs. "Remind me never to get on _her_ bad side."

"That's what best friends are for."

"You are right." Jay grins. "So, next time _we_ have an argument, it'll be Cole against her then?"

"You think there will be a next time?" I ask.

"Well, all _couples_ fight once in a while, don't they?" He grins at me. Okay, I guess we really are alright now.

"So, what do you want to do?" He asks, interlacing our fingers. "Shall we go back to the dance?"

"No, Sky also called to say that everyone's leaving now." I explain.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He gets up, pulling me with him. "We're halfway there already anyway."

"That would be nice." I reply. "Just slowly, please. I've already done more than enough running for one night."

"You don't like running?" Jay asks, as we are walking along the way.

"It even says so in my yearbook profile." I tell him.

"Yeah, I didn't get to that part." He blushes. "But if you ever change your mind, I know a few nice tracks around the NIT Campus."

"I'll think about it." I smile.

"Thanks for walking me home." I say, when we stop in front of our house.

"Thanks for inviting me to be your date." He places a kiss on my cheek. "Sorry about overreacting..."

"No, I am sorry about not telling you about the name."

"I hope you are not sorry about the things that you did tell me tonight."

"No, I am not." I shake my head. "And I still mean them."

"So, goodnight?" He is reluctant to leave. And I don't want him to go either.

"You know, Kai is staying at Skylor's place..." I quickly inform him, and a cheeky grin appears on Jay's handsome face. "That means we can make out against the doorbell for as long as we want without anyone complaining?" He jokes. Yeah, we're _definitely_ fine.

"We _could_ do that." I chuckle, but my back strongly disagrees. "Although I was more wondering whether you would like to come inside instead. And maybe... you could stay over as well." I suggest.

. "I would love to, Nya." Jay takes both my hands into his and looks into my still teary brown eyes. "If you are really sure about this - about us."

"I do." I assure him. "I love you, and I want you to stay with me."

"I want that too." He smiles.

And neither of us is talking about just tonight. It's gonna be for the rest of our lives.


	15. Epilogue

**I wrote this final chapter as a birthday present for a friend on wattpad (I had thought about writing an epilogue all along but just didn't feel like doing it when I first finished the story).**

* * *

Epilogue – Week 243

 _Wednesday morning_

I wake up early today, even before my despised alarm clock, which is _very_ unusual for me.

Jay is still fast asleep next to me. So, instead of staying in bed, which would only result in me waking him up by tossing and turning while trying to find a somewhat comfortable position, I carefully unwrap myself from his embrace and get up. I slip in my sea blue silk bathrobe before I quietly exit the room and take the stairs down to the ground floor.

In the bright and spacious kitchen, I make myself a coffee. Then I sit down at the counter and enjoy the view out of the window into the garden as well as my hot drink.

After spending quite some time watching a few small birds looking for food in the neatly cut grass, my eyes fall on the pictures on the wall next to the fridge.

Although we have kept most of the rather fancy decorations Jay's father had put up all over the house, the kitchen wall is just a huge mess of photos, tickets to concerts and sport events, and other memorabilia.

Just like the finisher medal from my first triathlon.

When I started my studies at the _Ninjago Institute of Technology_ that autumn almost five years ago, I got accepted into the NIT Swim Team. But, just as he had suggested on the night of my graduation, Jay somehow managed to convince me to meet him in the mornings for a run across the campus, which eventually got me into triathlon with Jay as my coach.

I don't mean to brag, but we have quite a few _real_ medals and awards from my swimming and triathlon competitions as well as from Jay's athletics, but this little plastic item still means a lot to me as it represents the first result of a joint effort between the two of us.

The first of many.

After my first year of college, Cole moved out of his and Jay's shared apartment to live with his girlfriend (who, by the way, is now his wife). And a few months later, I moved in with my boyfriend. After Cole had left, I had started to stay over on most nights anyway, so it didn't make much of a difference.

Except for the fact that I saved the rent for my dorm room. Jay wouldn't let me pay him anything for my room, but I still insisted on keeping my job at the campus bookshop to pay my share of the groceries and utility bills.

And I enjoyed the work, especially as Jay would always visit the shop during my shifts to have a coffee with me. Just as he did when we first met.

But the last five years were not _all_ sunshine and roses. We also made it through some very difficult times.

During Jay's final (and my third) year of college, his father unexpectedly passed away.

While promoting his new movie, Cliff Gordon suffered a stroke during a press conference, and he died a few days later, without having regained consciousness.

We were both there when it happened. Jay completely broke down. I have never seen him as devastated as he was back then, never before and never since.

As a child, he and his father had had a very difficult relationship, but in the last couple of years, they had been rather close.

And even more so after Jay and I had started dating. Cliff has always been very kind to me and I know that his father being supportive of us had meant a lot to him.

He took a break from college and went back home to take care of things and recover from the shock.

I did as much as I could to help him. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take time off from my own studies, so I could only go and see him on the weekends.

We even almost broke up.

Almost.

Because in the end, it made us realise what - or who - were most important to us, and we came out stronger than we were before.

And here we are now, living in his late father's mansion, running our own little business together.

During his studies, Jay had very soon decided to focus on Electrical Engineering and, using the results he obtained with the electric circuit form his first year, developed a completely new and highly efficient power source for small electronic items.

Despite the break, Jay still graduated a few months before me. Afterwards, he and Ed Walker set up a small company – _Walker Gordon Technologies_ – and got his invention patented.

My name was also on the patent as I helped him find the right materials and built the casing.

And when I graduated in Mechanical Engineering shortly after, Jay asked me to officially join them as partner, offering me two options – to rename the firm to _Smith Walker Gordon Technologies_ , or to get married and keep the company name as it was (okay, his proposal was ' _slightly'_ more romantic than that). And of course, I chose the second option.

As I remember our wedding, I can hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

Jay soon enters the kitchen and wraps his arms around me from behind.

"Good morning, beautiful." He places a kiss on my cheek. "Why are you up so early?" He asks, apparently surprised. Usually, he is the one to get up first, while I am not a morning person at all. Never been and probably never will be.

" _Someone_ wouldn't let me sleep." I say accusingly. "She was kicking all night."

Yes, we've been married for over half a year now and are expecting our first child in a few weeks. We've just found out that it's a girl, and we couldn't be happier.

"No, my little one. You should _never ever_ wake up mummy." He jokes, gently rubbing my swollen stomach. "And she has to be fit for an important meeting today."

"At least baby's asleep now." I sigh, holding my side. "Why can't she sleep at night like normal people?"

Well, I probably need get used to sleep deprivation anyway.

My husband's eyes fall on the almost empty mug on the counter. "You probably shouldn't..."

"It's _decaf_." I swivel around on the stool to kiss him on the lips. "I can't wait to have proper coffee again." I state, suppressing a yawn.

"Are you sure you're up for the meeting?" He asks, concern in his voice. "We can reschedule."

I shake my head. "No, I am fine. _Really_." I smile at him. "Stop worrying about _us_. And I want to see this deal finalised before I have to go on maternity leave."

We are having lunch with some representatives of _Borg Industries_ , the biggest name in Ninjago for all sorts of electronics. They are interested in using a larger version of our power source in their new robot lines. Today, we are going to meet with the company's CEO, Borg's daughter PIXAL, and the CTO Zane Julien (who is also her husband), plus a couple of attorneys.

My phone buzzes and I check the new message. "Sky is going to meet us directly at the restaurant." I tell Jay.

My best friend – also sister-in-law and mother of the cutest little nephew one could ever imagine – received her MBA from Ninjago City University and is now running her father's restaurant business.

When Jay and Ed set up this company, she did a huge amount of work for us, so we've now hired her again to help negotiating the conditions of this deal for us.

"Okay." Jay nods. "Ed should be here at 11:30, so the three of us can drive to the city together."

While the Walkers have retired as housekeepers, we have offered them to stay in their little cottage on the estate. They are like family to both of us now. And, as her honorary grandparents, they are almost as excited about the baby as we are.

"Don't forget, we've promised Lloyd to drop by the comic book store this afternoon after the meeting." I remind my husband. "He's _finally_ going to introduce us to his girlfriend."

"Shall we embarrass him?" Jay smirks. "Ask him when he's going to pop the question..."

"It was sooo funny watching you trying to answer all of _his_ questions when we started dating." I laugh. "Maybe we should remind him that he's promised to babysit for us..."

"That even might impress his girlfriend." Jay joins in.

Throughout the years, we've kept in contact with our 'little' friend – who is way taller than me by now and has a part-time job at _Doomsday Comix_ – and also with Rufus, who still runs the comic book store, despite his plans to retire years ago.

As we had promised, they both were guests at our wedding. After all, they were our first mutual friends.

And we never miss an opportunity to go back to that very special place for us.


End file.
